Reactions came flooding in from Washington after President-elect Donald Trump stunned the political establishment by nominating Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for attorney general.
Gaetz is the latest in a string of close allies Trump has tapped to join his second administration. As someone who has called for the Justice Department to be abolished and has been investigated by the agency, the possibility he might lead the DOJ garnered backlash, celebration, and pure shock.
“Source in room where House Republicans are waiting to start leadership elections tells me there were AUDIBLE GASP when Rep. MATT GAETZ was announced as President-elect Trump’s pick for Attorney General,” one reporter wrote in a post on X.
With some members of his own party already voicing opposition to his nomination, Gaetz could face a shaky path to Senate confirmation.