If the goal is to shake things up — and it appears to be — President-elect Donald Trump is knocking it out of the park with his cabinet picks. The speculation has been swirling as to who might be his pick for Attorney General — with names such as Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who removed himself from the mix, current Missouri AG Andrew Bailey, and former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker thought to be likely candidates for the job.
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In a somewhat surprising move, Trump has now announced that he’s tapped Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for the AG spot. Trump shared the announcement on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon.
It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States. Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department. On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law…
Trump’s message regarding the selection continued:
…Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution. We must have Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency at DOJ. Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will be proud of the Department of Justice once again.
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Gaetz responded to the announcement on X, stating, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/dg0iQ0bA6Y
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024
While many of Trump’s picks have been roundly applauded, this is one pick that may run into a roadblock in the Senate, which will, of course, need to approve the move. Whether Gaetz will ultimately be confirmed, there’s undoubtedly going to be some pushback on the selection.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated post-publication to include the added Truth Social note from President-elect Trump.
