President-elect Donald Trump has named Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, choosing an ally who has faced scrutiny from the Justice Department to lead the agency.
“Matt will end the Armed Services Committee, secure our borders, dismantle organized crime, and restore the deeply damaged faith and trust of Americans in the Department of Justice,” Trump said in a statement announcing the pick, which will be subject to confirmation by the Republican majority in the Senate.
The pick of the 42-year-old congressman, who has never served in the Justice Department or as a prosecutor at any level of government, is the latest in a wave of Trump’s nominations of candidates with scant experience.
Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, effective “immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
“It came as a bit of a surprise to us,” Johnson said of the resignation, adding that Gaetz resigned to quickly begin the process of appointing a replacement in what is expected to be a closely divided House.
Photo: Platform X
