Who is Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for US attorney general?
Al Jazeera
Gaetz has been a controversial lawmaker and was until this week the subject of sexual misconduct investigations.
United States President-elect Donald Trump’s Wednesday nomination of Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz for attorney general has generated a stir on both sides of the political aisle.
The role doubles as the country’s top prosecutor and the head of the Department of Justice. As attorney general, Gaetz would also oversee agencies like the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI).
Trump announced the nomination in a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. He cited Gaetz’s background as a lawyer and member of the House Judiciary Committee.
The president-elect, who has verbally attacked the Justice Department for bringing two federal cases against him, said Gaetz would root out “systemic corruption” in the department and return it “to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our democracy and constitution”.
Gaetz, who has faced his own string of investigations for alleged improper and illegal behaviour, has caused waves during his time in the House and generated some animosity among his congressional colleagues, even within his own party. As a result, there have been more than a few raised eyebrows at his nomination, with some Republicans saying this is not a “serious” move.
