'What if government went Joker': Experts slam 'extremist' Gaetz AG pick

13 November 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) as his pick for Attorney General of the United States, who would head the Department of Justice (DOJ) is confirmed by the full Senate.

In a post to his Truth Social account, Trump called Gaetz a "deeply gifted and tenacious attorney." He also praised him for using his platform as a member of Congress to work for "desperately needed reform" at the DOJ.

"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," Trump wrote. "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."

Gaetz's confirmation will have to first move through the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he will need at least 50 votes from the U.S. Senate if he hopes to ascend to the top od the DOJ. But regardless of how difficult his path to confirmation may be, multiple legal experts, journalists and pundits are sounding the alarm for what a potential Gaetz-led DOJ would look like, with many mentioning that he had been previously investigated (and cleared) by the DOJ for alleged sex trafficking of minors.

"Gotta be f—ing kidding me," University of Birmingham (UK) historian Alan Cunningham wrote on the social media platform Bluesky. "Matt Gaetz the pedophile as Attorney General. Yeah this whole s— is going to get way way worse, on an unprecedented scale."

Civil rights attorney Joshua Erlich also referenced the previous DOJ investigation in a post of his own, wryly observing that "the GOP anti-sex trafficking stuff is legit now that we have AG Matt Gaetz." Legal journalist and podcaster Liz Dye suggested that Gaetz becoming the top law enforcement official in the United States was "one way to get out of a House Ethics investigation for sex trafficking."

Jay Willis, who is editor-in-chief of the publication Balls and Strikes, pointed out that Gaetz "would make history as the first ever Cabinet secretary to lead a department that previously investigated him for sex trafficking." And author and podcaster Jeff Yang used the news of Gaetz's nomination wrote: "We're living the answer to the question 'what if government went Joker.'"

Matt Gaetz's nomination was announced not long after former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) was announced as the potential next Director of National Intelligence. Journalist Dan Froomkin asked his followers to "please not normalize these radical, extremist, unqualified, and highly compromised nominees."

However, some believe that Trump may attempt to bypass the confirmation process altogether. Journalist Dan Moynihan opined that the incoming president may be hoping to simply have his nominees serve in an "acting" role without ever having the Senate hold confirmation hearings.

"Remember that Trump’s plan is that there be no hearings and no advise and consent from the Senate," he wrote. "Appoint them all as recess appointments. Forget about separation of powers."

"Y'all are going to get every bit of what you voted for," appellate lawyer Raffi Melkonian posted.

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