How Matt Gaetz Could Realistically End Up as Attorney General
Trump's selection for attorney general encounters significant doubt in Washington, but that hasn't hindered his progress.
TroibNews 
“Gaetz won’t get confirmed, everybody knows that,” Kevin McCarthy remarked on Thursday. This sentiment appears to be echoed by many in Washington following President-elect Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to nominate Matt Gaetz for attorney general. One House Republican reportedly found the pick so amusing that he was in tears from laughing.
Gaetz’s time in the limelight is emblematic of his career. He is frequently viewed as a clown, a self-promoter, or a provocateur who seems unlikely to continue his rise.
Yet he keeps achieving victories. This perpetual success is why McCarthy is no longer House speaker. Thus, it’s premature to conclude that Gaetz won’t eventually secure the position of the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
Often underestimated, Gaetz comes from a relatively privileged background, his political journey facilitated by his father. Don Gaetz, affectionately known in Florida political circles as “Papa” Gaetz, previously led the state Senate and accrued significant wealth in the health care sector. The Gaetz family owns the house in Florida where “The Truman Show” was filmed and vacationed there when Matt was young; perhaps this experience informed his understanding of how to present himself to a broad audience.
At just 27, Gaetz was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, and by 34, he had moved on to the U.S. House. He could have settled into a comfortable backbench role in Congress, remaining in a secure Republican seat for life.
Instead, he aligned himself with Trump and tapped into the fervor within the MAGA base. His fiery rhetoric and relentless ambition have generally served him well within the Trump sphere, even though they have frustrated many of his congressional colleagues.
“No one can stand him at this point. He’s a smart guy with no morals,” one Republican stated to Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich prior to the ousting of McCarthy.
This anonymous critique was intended as a dig at Gaetz, yet it also succinctly captures his political strengths.
He seems unfazed by criticism—and even invites it when he deems it advantageous. His willingness to undermine fellow party members to advance his own interests is noteworthy, along with his adept maneuvering.
These traits were evident when he was selected by Trump for the attorney general role, having initially not been on the shortlist, according to PMG Playbook. While flying to Washington on Trump’s plane, Trump ally Boris Epshteyn advocated for Gaetz, all while Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles remained unaware of this development in an adjacent room.
In his nomination statement, Trump described Gaetz as a “tenacious” attorney who “will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”
Trump, in search of an aggressive advocate against his adversaries, recognized that Gaetz had positioned himself as one of his staunchest defenders during nearly eight years in Congress.
“We should never, ever dismiss the fact that he’s bright and eloquent,” remarked Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota who expressed doubts about Gaetz’s confirmation likelihood. “He can litigate, and he’s proven it many, many times. And he’s loyal to Donald Trump, which is not unimportant.”
However, Gaetz is also under scrutiny due to multiple ethics investigations and a federal probe regarding potential sex trafficking. He seemingly resigned from Congress abruptly to prevent the disclosure of a damaging House Ethics Committee report concerning allegations of illegal drug use, improper gifts, and sexual misconduct.
Some Senate Republicans have expressed discomfort with the nomination, not limited to members like Susan Collins. GOP Sen. John Cornyn from Texas stated he “absolutely” wants to review the Ethics report.
Many of Gaetz’s peers doubt his chances for confirmation, yet they previously underestimated how far he has come.
Gaetz and Trump may be counting on Senate Republicans' loyalty to Trump to outweigh any reservations about Gaetz’s qualifications for the role. This strategy might prove effective.
Last year, Sen. Markwayne Mullin labeled Gaetz a “liar” who would “brag about how he would crush ED [erectile dysfunction] medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night” and accused him of “living off daddy’s money.”
However, when PMG Magazine spoke with Mullin in the Capitol on Thursday, he adopted a noticeably more accommodating tone.
“I can personally object to someone, but I can still work with them if I think they’re qualified to do the job,” he said, adding that he had to look up whether Gaetz was even an attorney. “The biggest qualification is, does the president think he can do the job? And the president believes he can do the job.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
Gaetz’s time in the limelight is emblematic of his career. He is frequently viewed as a clown, a self-promoter, or a provocateur who seems unlikely to continue his rise.
Yet he keeps achieving victories. This perpetual success is why McCarthy is no longer House speaker. Thus, it’s premature to conclude that Gaetz won’t eventually secure the position of the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
Often underestimated, Gaetz comes from a relatively privileged background, his political journey facilitated by his father. Don Gaetz, affectionately known in Florida political circles as “Papa” Gaetz, previously led the state Senate and accrued significant wealth in the health care sector. The Gaetz family owns the house in Florida where “The Truman Show” was filmed and vacationed there when Matt was young; perhaps this experience informed his understanding of how to present himself to a broad audience.
At just 27, Gaetz was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, and by 34, he had moved on to the U.S. House. He could have settled into a comfortable backbench role in Congress, remaining in a secure Republican seat for life.
Instead, he aligned himself with Trump and tapped into the fervor within the MAGA base. His fiery rhetoric and relentless ambition have generally served him well within the Trump sphere, even though they have frustrated many of his congressional colleagues.
“No one can stand him at this point. He’s a smart guy with no morals,” one Republican stated to Fox’s Jacqui Heinrich prior to the ousting of McCarthy.
This anonymous critique was intended as a dig at Gaetz, yet it also succinctly captures his political strengths.
He seems unfazed by criticism—and even invites it when he deems it advantageous. His willingness to undermine fellow party members to advance his own interests is noteworthy, along with his adept maneuvering.
These traits were evident when he was selected by Trump for the attorney general role, having initially not been on the shortlist, according to PMG Playbook. While flying to Washington on Trump’s plane, Trump ally Boris Epshteyn advocated for Gaetz, all while Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles remained unaware of this development in an adjacent room.
In his nomination statement, Trump described Gaetz as a “tenacious” attorney who “will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”
Trump, in search of an aggressive advocate against his adversaries, recognized that Gaetz had positioned himself as one of his staunchest defenders during nearly eight years in Congress.
“We should never, ever dismiss the fact that he’s bright and eloquent,” remarked Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota who expressed doubts about Gaetz’s confirmation likelihood. “He can litigate, and he’s proven it many, many times. And he’s loyal to Donald Trump, which is not unimportant.”
However, Gaetz is also under scrutiny due to multiple ethics investigations and a federal probe regarding potential sex trafficking. He seemingly resigned from Congress abruptly to prevent the disclosure of a damaging House Ethics Committee report concerning allegations of illegal drug use, improper gifts, and sexual misconduct.
Some Senate Republicans have expressed discomfort with the nomination, not limited to members like Susan Collins. GOP Sen. John Cornyn from Texas stated he “absolutely” wants to review the Ethics report.
Many of Gaetz’s peers doubt his chances for confirmation, yet they previously underestimated how far he has come.
Gaetz and Trump may be counting on Senate Republicans' loyalty to Trump to outweigh any reservations about Gaetz’s qualifications for the role. This strategy might prove effective.
Last year, Sen. Markwayne Mullin labeled Gaetz a “liar” who would “brag about how he would crush ED [erectile dysfunction] medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night” and accused him of “living off daddy’s money.”
However, when PMG Magazine spoke with Mullin in the Capitol on Thursday, he adopted a noticeably more accommodating tone.
“I can personally object to someone, but I can still work with them if I think they’re qualified to do the job,” he said, adding that he had to look up whether Gaetz was even an attorney. “The biggest qualification is, does the president think he can do the job? And the president believes he can do the job.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
