Anybody keeping up with the news probably also follows updates surrounding Trump’s cabinet appointments. While people have mixed feelings, the vast majority agreed that U.S. congressman Matt Gaetz was unqualified for the position of Attorney General. This later influenced his decision to withdraw his candidacy for the position. Let’s look at how he got here.
President-elect Donald Trump selected Matt Gaetz as Attorney General on a two-hour flight from Washington to Florida, shortly after the election. Trump’s top legal advisor Boris Epshteyn advised him to appoint Gaetz as the head of the Department of Justice. Ironically, Gaetz has been investigated by the department for statutory rape: a claim he denies. His criminal history has made him an unfavorable candidate in Congress. Trump’s second pick Floridian Tam Bondi is more cordial with politicians, allowing Trump’s team for a smoother sail ahead.
Moreover, Gaetz has been an avid “Trumpy” since 2020. Being a lawyer, Gaetz helped prepare the President-elect for his debate over the summer which in part knocked President Joe Biden out of the race.
Trump’s decision frustrated Democrat and Republican house representatives and outraged the Department of Justice. At a conservative conference last year, Gaetz suggested that the Justice Department and related agencies (including the FBI) should be abolished – asserting that the department is weaponized against the conservative party. Moreover, critics say Trump is more concerned about appointing a loyal follower over somebody who will uphold the law. By contrast, Trump’s son Donald J. Trump Jr, asserts that the former president’s cabinet picks emulate the change the American people endorsed by voting Trump into office.
After being nominated for attorney general, Matt Gaetz resigned from his position as house representative for the first congressional district of Florida. His resignation was due at the same time the House Ethics Committee was to decide whether or not to release Matt Gaetz’s ethics report involving alleged drug use and inappropriate interactions with minors. Notably, Congress’s attitude toward Gaetz is not without purpose. Markwayne Mullin, a former congressman turned senator, said there was a reason nobody defended Gaetz when allegations were made against him: he explained Gaetz would show videos and pictures of his sexual exploits to the house floor – ultimately bragging about having sex with underage girls.
Gaetz said Mullin was lying.
When Trump faced backlash from Congress, he sought refuge in the Senate (where he found none). Subsequently, Trump attended a SpaceX launch where he was asked whether or not he’d changed his decision surrounding Gatez. The president-elect firmly responded “No.” There was more promising news for Gaetz when the House Ethics Committee voted against the release of Gaetz’s report. All that to say, Trump called the Senate to determine whether or not Gaetz still had a chance. Without hearing back, Gaetz withdrew – asserting that “[his] confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.” Though Gaetz comfortably won his seat in Congress in Florida but decided not to return to Congress next year. It is unclear what’s next for the Trump loyalist and accused criminal. Meanwhile, Ginger Gaetz – who married him in 2021 – posted on X, “an end of an era.”
