CNN Legal Analyst Calls ‘Crazy’ ‘Dangerous’ Matt Gaetz AG

CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig explained why Donald Trump’s intention to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general is not only “crazy” but also “dangerous.”

“I wish there was a gentler way to put it, but there’s no use mincing words,” Honig said Wednesday The situation roombefore detailing how Gaetz does not meet the requirements for his qualifications and independence — “the two fundamental qualities needed in an attorney general.”

“Matt Gaetz has never worked a day as a prosecutor in his life,” Honig said.

“He has no idea what it means to stand in court and say, ‘Representative of the United States.'” He has no idea what it means to charge someone and potentially take away their individual freedom. He has only been practicing law at the local level for a few years. We had [attorneys general] They had never been prosecutors before, but they all held serious positions in the Justice Department where they were not prosecutors. Matt Gaetz is completely unknown in this profession.”

Gaetz, who graduated from William & Mary Law School in 2007, later began private practice at the Florida-based firm Keefe, Anchors & Gordon. Gaetz was first elected to Congress in a special election in April 2010.

As for Gaetz’s “independence,” Honig mentioned that he proudly describes himself as “a tireless defender of President Trump and his vision for the United States.”

“He says he wears it as a badge of honor. He’s there to use weapons,” Honig said. “I’m not one for doomsday scenarios like that… but as someone who spent a career in the Justice Department, it concerns me greatly.”

Honig later compared a possible Gaetz term to that of some of Trump’s former attorneys general, Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr.

“What Bill Barr wouldn’t do is use the Justice Department as an offensive weapon to prosecute people,” he said, noting that Barr served primarily to defend Trump. “Everything points to this being the strategy.”

Gaetz was also the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation – something that Paula Reid, CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent, said made him feel “victimized” by the Justice Department and the FBI. Of course, Trump does that too, she noted.

Gaetz denied the allegations and the federal investigation resulted in no charges. An investigation by the House Ethics Committee was closed Wednesday due to Gaetz’s resignation.