Donald Trump announced this Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) wants to nominate to act as his Attorney General.
Gaetz is a longtime Trump loyalist who will likely be tasked with rebuilding the Justice Department. The department traditionally adheres to strong rules against presidential interference; Trump and his allies have clearly argued that this should change. Trump has also repeatedly called for legal action against his political enemies promising In 2023 “appointing an actual special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in United States history, Joe Biden and the entire Biden crime family”.
It would fall to Gaetz to carry out such threats if confirmed by the Senate.
Before being nominated attorney general, Gaetz was perhaps best known for two things. One is his longstanding feud with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was eventually ousted in no small part because of Gaetz. Another is allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz denied these allegations, and the Department of Justice In 2023, the investigation against them was dropped.
If Getz were to run the same division, he would be in a uniquely powerful role. He will be tasked with overseeing all federal litigation, providing legal advice to the President and the Cabinet, and making the final decision on any legal position the United States takes in court.
Of greater significance is perhaps the fact that Gaetz will have enormous authority over who is prosecuted, who is allowed to commit federal crimes, and who can be targeted for politically motivated prosecutions in an authoritarian administration.
Trump has repeatedly vowed “retaliation” against his Democratic rivals. And his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court ruled last July that he can order the Justice Department to rule out politically motivated prosecutions.
In the first Trump administration, Trump sought to subpoena the Justice Department against his former political opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey, but White House counsel Don McGahn refused to do so. In contrast, Gaetz’s strong support for Trump makes it seem unlikely that he would resist such an order.
Just who is Matt Getz?
Gaetz has a law degree, and he Previously practiced law in Northwest Florida. She has been a representative since 2017 and has become known both for performing stunts on the house floor – such as wearing a Gas mask For protesting the masking policy during the coronavirus pandemic — as well as his strong support for Trump.
In 2021, it was revealed that Getz was Subject to investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
The charges stemmed from her relationship with Joel Greenberg, a former county-level tax collector who was Sentenced to 11 years imprisonment by a federal judge in 2022. Greenberg pleaded guilty to a wide range of crimes, including sex trafficking of minors, wire fraud, identity theft and conspiracy to defraud the federal government. Judge Gregory Presnell, who sentenced Greenberg, said he had “never seen a defendant commit so many different types of crimes in such a short period of time.”
According to CNN, Greenberg also “cooperated extensively with the Justice Department Sex-trafficking investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz” Among other things, Greenberg told investigators that he Gaetz was seen having sex with a 17-year-old girl. (Getz issued a blanket denial of the allegations in a statement from his office in 2021, writing: “No part of the allegations against me are true.”)
As a general rule, sex crimes such as prostitution are handled by state-level prosecutors, as the Constitution only allows the federal government to Limited jurisdiction over sex crimes. The US Department of Justice may become involved in narrow circumstances.
The Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz Did he have sex with this girl and pay her to travel with him?. This is one Federal crime Transporting someone across state lines, with the intent that they engage in prostitution or “illegal sexual conduct.” The most serious violations of this law carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
In any case, the Judiciary Ultimately Gaetz decided not to press charges. The reasons for his refusal to do so have not been disclosed, but the lack of allegations does not clear him of the allegations. Meanwhile, A A House ethics investigation into Gaetz is ongoing.
According to ABC News, a woman told the House committee investigating Getz A member of Congress paid her for sex. Others said they were paid to attend parties that Getz also attended, where attendees used drugs and had sex. Again, Gaetz denied any wrongdoing.
So far, it’s unclear whether a majority of senators will vote to confirm Gaetz as attorney general. But there is some evidence that many Republicans will be turned off by Gaetz’s sex-crime allegations and his generally poor reputation on Capitol Hill. In 2023, for example, Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-OK) said that “There is a reason why no one is [Republican] Save the convention” Getz after seeing some evidence against him.
as New York Times columnist Ezra Klein writesTrump’s decision to nominate Gaetz should be read as an attempt to gauge whether Republican senators will allow him to take unreasonable and dangerous steps. “These aren’t just appointments,” Klein wrote of Gaetz and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, “they’re tests of loyalty. The absurdity is the point.”
