Donald Trump has announced that he will nominate his loyalist Matt Gaetz as the US Attorney General.
As chief law enforcement officer, Gaetz will be instrumental in taking stances on important issues like abortion and civil rights laws.
Who is Matt Gaetz?
The Florida Rep was first elected to the Congress in 2016. Interestingly, the Department of Justice, which he is expected to lead, was probing a criminal sex trafficking allegation against him. This included having sex with a minor girl aged 17. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Due to this history, Trump and Gaetz drew flak over his nomination as AG. Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, said there is no "worse and more unqualified" nominee than Gaetz, pointing out that he has demonstrated contempt of the rule of law as a Congressman.
A former Homeland Security official, Olivia Troye, said Gaetz has been on the run from the law for a while and hence he will think he is about it and will be "corrupt as hell".
Trump took to Truth Social to praise Gaetz, saying he is a "deeply gifted and tenacious" attorney and has pushed for reforms in the Department of Justice. He added that Gaetz will help put an end to the "weaponised" government, protect the US borders, crack down on criminal outfits and restore Americans faith in the justice department.
