Trump’s choice of Matt Gaetz as attorney general surprises the Justice Department

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to name Matt Gaetz — a Florida congressman who was recently the subject of an FBI investigation — as the next attorney general of the United States sent shockwaves through the Justice Department on Wednesday.

“OMG,” said a current senior Justice Department official. A second department official called the selection “truly stunning” and a third called it “crazy.”

Gaetz, who was the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation that ended without charges, has been an ardent Trump supporter and has regularly attacked both the Justice Department and the FBI, calling, among other things, for the office’s elimination and abolition.

“What the hell is going on?!” asked a senior Justice Department official who, like others quoted in this story, spoke anonymously to provide candid assessment of the man chosen to head his department.

The official called Gaetz’s nomination “ridiculous” and said he should not be confirmed to such a critical position at a monumental turning point in history.

“I’m having a hard time finding words,” another Justice Department official said.

“And look, he’s uniquely qualified,” this DOJ official said caustically. “How many other aspiring attorneys general have had experience as the subject of a criminal investigation?”

A current senior Justice Department official said he “didn’t see this coming,” while another called it “absolutely unbelievable.”

In the halls of the Justice Department’s headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, the mood was somber Wednesday as some staffers sat and considered what impact the congressman might have on the institution, which operates under a set of post-Watergate norms, political bias are intended to prevent impacts on criminal investigations.

Gaetz was particularly critical of the DOJ’s investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which has resulted in charges against more than 1,500 Trump supporters and the conviction of more than 1,100 criminals involved in the attack. more than 600 of them were sentenced to prison.

On the night of January 6, 2021, after the mob was cleared from the building, Gaetz spread the conspiracy theory in the House of Representatives that the attack was actually staged by the left-wing group Antifa.

In the years following the attack, he spread conspiracy theories about Ray Epps, a Trump supporter and January 6 defendant, who was falsely portrayed as a government agent, as well as the pipe bombs left outside the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee the night before of the attack.

The Florida House of Representatives lawmaker also attempted to visit inmates in prison on Jan. 6 and demanded the release of all surveillance footage of the attack. A Jan. 6 defendant, Brandon Straka, said in early 2023 that he was in “regular contact” with Gaetz about the fate of those charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

Once Trump takes office, Gaetz has yet to be officially nominated for the post, a position that will be confirmed by the Senate. Republicans in the upper house expressed confusion over Gaetz’s choice on Wednesday, although most were eager to leave the door open for him.

A former senior Justice Department official, meanwhile, said the Gaetz selection “cannot be real.”

“Matt lacks any substance or understanding of how the department operates,” the former official continued. “He would be the final decision-maker on really important national security issues, and that is someone who is completely unprincipled.”

Another former senior DOJ official added: “He is the least qualified person ever nominated for a position in the Justice Department.”