TAMPA, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he is nominating former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general.
“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump said in a statement.
With Trump and his administration set to take office on Jan. 20, some may be wondering, who is Matt Gaetz?
Gaetz represented Florida's 1st Congressional District, which includes Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and portions of Walton counties. He first assumed the role in 2017, beating out Democratic nominee Steven Specht. He resigned from the role the same day Trump nominated him as attorney general.
Gaetz earned a degree from the William & Mary Law School in 2007, going on to work for a firm in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Then in 2010, his career in the Florida House of Representatives began as he first was elected as the representative for District 4.
Trump's selection of Gaetz came as a shock to some as he was not among the more established attorneys who had been mentioned as contenders for the job.
Gaetz has been a staunch defender of Trump but at times has irked fellow Republicans, including in last year’s leadership debate in the House chamber.
In early 2023, Gaetz was among a group of hard-right conservatives to oppose McCarthy’s bid for House speakership, forcing McCarthy to wait through 15 ballots of voting before earning the spot. And it was Gaetz who orchestrated the vote that ultimately ousted McCarthy as House speaker.
McCarthy then helped fund a primary challenge to Gaetz that included commercials alleging that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, an allegation that had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee — though that probe effectively ended Wednesday when Gaetz resigned from Congress. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and the Justice Department ended its own sex trafficking investigation without bringing charges against him.
The Florida bar also briefly suspended Gaetz's license in 2021 due to unpaid fees, but the association’s website on Wednesday listed him as a member in good standing.
Just hours before Trump announced his nomination, Gaetz wrote a post on X that echoed Trump’s frequent claims that he has been unfairly targeted by the justice system.
“We ought to have a full court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people,” Gaetz said. “And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”
If confirmed as attorney general, Gaetz would have oversight over both agencies.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
