President-elect Donald Trump startled much of Washington on Wednesday by selecting Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general, putting the Florida firebrand and MAGA loyalist in line to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, a nomination that some Republicans doubt will survive.
Mr. Trump also turned heads by selecting former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, an ex-Democrat from Hawaii, to serve as director of national intelligence. He confirmed he would nominate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to become secretary of state.
The Gaetz announcement overshadowed the others, sending shock waves across the political spectrum.
In a statement, Mr. Trump said he was nominating the Florida Republican because he is a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney.”
“Matt will end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department. … He is a champion for the constitution and the rule of law,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Gaetz will return the Justice Department to what he described as “its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our democracy and constitution.”
SEE ALSO: Gaetz resigns from Congress ‘effective immediately’ following attorney-general nomination
Mr. Trump’s MAGA faithful cheered. They described the nomination as bold and were gleeful at the prospect of Mr. Gaetz “draining the swamp” and going after “deep state” actors and the “enemy within” that Mr. Trump warned about on the campaign trail.
“There are few people I trust more to take on the deep state and end the weaponization of the Justice Department,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Others were befuddled and outright concerned that Mr. Gaetz would wield the power of the Justice Department against Mr. Trump’s foes in a purely political fashion.
If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Gaetz will lead the Justice Department that carried out a sex trafficking investigation into him.
Although Mr. Gaetz was not charged with a crime, he remains the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges or engaged in illicit drug use. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The attorney general position requires Senate approval. With Republicans having a majority in January, he could sail through without Democrats’ support. Still, even Republicans questioned whether he could be confirmed amid allegations that he sex trafficked minors.
“He’ll never get confirmed,” said Rep. Max Miller, Ohio Republican.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Republican, said “there’s a number of issues” with the nomination because of allegations that Mr. Gaetz sex trafficked minors.
“I mean, to be honest, I was thinking about the FBI background check; it’s pretty intense for attorney general,” he told reporters.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who could head the Senate Judiciary Committee after the Republicans take over the upper chamber in January, told CNN that “he’d have to think about that” when asked whether he had any concerns.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, Illinois Democrat and outgoing chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Mr. Gaetz would be a “disaster” as attorney general.
“During his first administration, Donald Trump assaulted the Constitution, undermined the rule of law, and tried to use the Department of Justice to overturn the results of the 2020 election,” Mr. Durbin said in a statement. “He has made it clear that he now plans to use the Justice Department to seek revenge on his political enemies.”
Liberal groups called on the Senate to oppose his confirmation.
“The nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general represents a serious threat to the fair and equal enforcement of the law in our nation,” said Kase Solomon, president of Common Cause. “Gaetz is wholly unqualified for the post in addition to being an election denier and far-right extremist. This move is both shocking and alarming.”
The nomination clearly sets the stage for an intense confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill next year. Mr. Gaetz’s political and personal foibles and the togetherness of the Republicans’ 53-47 majority will be scrutinized.
Mr. Gaetz quickly bet on himself, sending an immediate resignation letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately, of Congress,” the Louisiana Republican said. “That caught us by surprise a little bit.”
But it also eases the strain on the thin House Republican majority by allowing Gov. Ron DeSantis to call a snap special election that could put his replacement in Congress before Jan. 3. Republicans would be confident of winning a special election in the deep-red 1st Congressional District.
A conservative firebrand on Capitol Hill, Mr. Gaetz could take over a Justice Department that Mr. Trump has pledged to overhaul.
With roughly 115,000 employees, the department is central to Mr. Trump’s key campaign promises, including reducing crime and awarding billions of dollars in grant funding for immigration enforcement, border security and policing.
For Mr. Gaetz, it marks the latest chapter in his political rise.
He went from being a back-bench bomb thrower and camera-hungry lawmaker to leading the effort last year to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after the California Republican cut a bipartisan deal to stave off a partial government shutdown.
Unlike other candidates, it is unclear whether Mr. Gaetz has ever prosecuted a case. After graduating from William & Mary Law School in 2007 and passing the bar in 2008, he worked at a private firm. He ran for the Florida House of Representatives in 2010.
In 2021, his Florida bar license was suspended because of unpaid fees but was reinstated after he paid the $265 fee.
Mr. Trump has hit the ground running on nominations, moving quickly to submit his preferred picks for Cabinet posts and tap senior White House officials.
As for the other nominations that need Senate confirmation, Mr. Trump’s nomination of Ms. Gabbard, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 before leaving the party two years later, was somewhat expected after she emerged as a top surrogate for him on the campaign trail.
Nominating her as director of national intelligence raised some questions about her experience. If confirmed, Ms. Gabbard will be responsible for gathering and sharing sensitive foreign information and secrets from all U.S. intelligence agencies.
Mr. Trump highlighted her service in combat during three deployments to war zones. She is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
“For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our country and the freedoms of all Americans,” Mr. Trump said. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights and securing peace through strength.”
Ms. Gabbard served on three panels involving U.S. security during her terms in Congress. She was a member of the committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs.
She was also assigned to the Committee on Financial Services, where she served on the subcommittee on national security, international development and monetary policy.
She has drawn scrutiny for comments construed as too sympathetic to Russia and for holding unplanned meetings with Syrian President Bashar Assad during that country’s civil war. Those issues may complicate her confirmation process in the Senate despite the Republican majority and support for Mr. Trump’s agenda.
Mr. Trump also praised Mr. Rubio as a highly respected leader and a powerful advocate for freedom.
“He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries. I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again,” Mr. Trump said.
The high praise from Mr. Trump is a stark departure from the 2016 Republican presidential primary when he dubbed the Florida Republican “Little Marco.”
Mr. Rubio, likewise, warned that the media and pro-Trump voters would eventually have to justify “how they fell into this trap of supporting Donald Trump.” At the time, Mr. Rubio called him a “con artist.”
The nomination is a reminder that those days are long gone.
Mr. Rubio, 53, whose parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1950s, said he was “honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me.”
“Under the leadership of President Trump, we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interest of Americans and America above all else,” Mr. Rubio said.
After serving four years in Washington and reshaping the Republican Party, Mr. Trump has a far more vast universe of loyalists to choose from than he did when he took office in 2017.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump announced that Stephen Miller, chief architect of the president-elect’s immigration agenda, would serve as his assistant and deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security.
Dan Scavino, a longtime assistant, will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff. James Blair, political director for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, will become assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.
Taylor Budowich, who helped lead Trump’s Save America Trump leadership PAC, will serve as the president’s assistant and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel.
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