President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13 said he’s selecting Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be attorney general in the second Trump administration.
Gaetz “will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Gaetz, 42, has represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017.
“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Gaetz wrote on X, another social media platform.
Trump praised Gaetz for, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, exposing details of the dossier-fueled investigation into Trump’s first campaign for office. Trump described Gaetz as “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney … who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
Gaetz has called for reform of major components of the department, including the potential abolishment of agencies such as the FBI.
Before entering Congress, Gaetz received a law degree from William & Mary School and worked as a lawyer. He went on to serve as a Florida state representative until 2016, when he ran for the House seat that he won in his first attempt.
The U.S. attorney general position requires Senate confirmation.
At the beginning of Trump’s first term, Jeff Sessions was attorney general. After Sessions resigned, Matthew Whitaker served in an acting capacity until the Senate approved William Barr.
The current attorney general, Merrick Garland, has been the only attorney general during President Joe Biden’s term. He received 70 votes from the Senate in 2021, including from several Republicans.
Asked about how the upper chamber will handle Trump’s nominees, new incoming-Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters earlier Wednesday that “we will do everything we can to process his noms quickly, get them installed in their positions so they can begin to implement his agenda.”
Republicans will take majority in the Senate in early January 2025, before Trump is sworn into office.
They’ll have 53 seats, according to confirmed and projected outcomes in the election.
Republicans are currently in the minority in the Senate.
This is a breaking story that will be updated.
