CNN’s Jake Tapper was shocked Wednesday at President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general of the United States.
“Welcome to ‘The Lead,’ I’m Jake Tapper. And let me begin the show by uttering some words that I never contemplated using together before. And those words are: U.S. Attorney General Matt Gaetz,” he said following the announcement.
“Because if you were wondering what Trump without the guardrails looks like, well, we’re getting an idea beyond the theoretical. We are starting with breaking news on so many fronts related to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition,” Tapper continued.
“The president-elect, of course, Trump announced just minutes ago on Truth Social that he is picking Republican congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida to be the next U.S. attorney general,” the CNN host said.
Trump said in his nomination announcement on Truth Social, “Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” he added.
“On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” the president-elect concluded.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 13, 2024
Later Wednesday, the pro-Trump MAGA Resource site on social media platform X posted an exchange Gaetz had with current Attorney General Merrick Garland in an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee in June.
Do you think Matt Gaetz was a good pick by Trump?
Gaetz tore into the AG regarding allegations of coordination between the Department of Justice and state and local prosecutors’ offices in New York and Georgia in charges brought against Trump.
“You come in here and you lodge this attack, that it’s a conspiracy theory that there is coordinated lawfare against Trump. And then when we say, ‘Fine, just give us the documents. Give us the correspondence, and then if it’s a conspiracy theory, that will be evident,’” Gaetz said.
Garland told Gaetz he could submit a request for the correspondence to the department and they would review it. The AG would not confirm or deny there were communications, but asserted that state and local prosecutors ultimately make their own decisions.
🔥🔥This is why the left’s heads are exploding today over Trump nominating Matt Gaetz as the new US Attorney General.
— MAGA Resource (@MAGAResource) November 13, 2024
On Wednesday, Tapper went on to point out, “Gaetz is currently facing a House Ethics Committee investigation over whether he may have — and I should note, before I even outline the charges, Gaetz denies it all — but the House Ethics Committee in a statement earlier this year said they’re looking into whether he may have, quote, ‘engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct,’ unquote.”
“Again, Gaetz denies it all,” Tapper emphasized.
Reminder that Jake Tapper knowingly worked with the intelligence community to spread the Russia collusion hoax. https://t.co/myGerD1fPt
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) November 13, 2024
The four-term congressman is currently being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, but the committee pointed out in a June statement, “the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”
ABC News reported that a DOJ probe opened into allegations Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice closed last year with no charges being brought.
After being nominated by Trump, Gaetz announced his resignation from Congress, allowing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis the ability to schedule a special election, which should happen early next year.
Congratulations to the Floridians being appointed to key positions in the Trump Administration: Senator Marco Rubio, Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Congressman Mike Waltz.
I’ve instructed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for the upcoming special…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 14, 2024
Gaetz likely faces a challenging confirmation battle in the narrowly divided U.S. Senate.
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