President-elect Trump stunned Washington with two controversial picks to lead important law enforcement and intelligence roles in his administration, tapping Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic representative, to the nation’s top intelligence job.
Trump tapped a loyalist to lead a Justice Department he has railed against both inside and outside of the White House – one he sees as a vehicle for carrying out the retribution he has vowed his perceived enemies would see under a second term.
In Gabbard, Trump selected a figure who has floated numerous conspiracy theories that defy the conclusions reached by the U.S. intelligence agencies she would oversee. She has routinely espoused narratives likewise peddled by Russia.
Gaetz’s selection seemed to catch lawmakers off guard. He was not among the names reported to be up for the position and Democrats are sure to raise that he was previously investigated as part of a sex trafficking probe launched by the Justice Department.
As House Republicans met Wednesday afternoon to start leadership elections, one source said there were audible gasps when Gaetz was announced as Trump’s pick for attorney general.
The picks also raise questions about Trump’s ability to get his nominees through even a Republican-led Senate.
“It’ll just be interesting to see what his organic base is,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-S.C.) said of Gaetz. “At the end of the day, Congressman Gaetz, he’ll have a hearing, but I’m all about counting votes and I would think that he’s probably got some work cut out for him to get a good strong vote.”
“We’re not going to get a single Democrat vote,” he said.
Gabbard is also likely to be a tough sell, and is expected to face opposition from a number of former high ranking national security and intelligence officials.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence prepares the President’s Daily Brief, summarizing information collected among the 18 intelligence agencies so that the president can make key national security and foreign policy decisions.
Gabbard has made a slew of pro-Russia comments that have prompted criticism on both sides of the aisle.
She shared disinformation accusing Ukraine of creating biological weapons – a narrative pushed in Russian media – prompting Sen. Mitt Romey (R-Utah) to accuse her of spreading “treasonous lies [that] may well cost lives.”
And she also faulted the Biden admission for failing to acknowledge what she said were “Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO” as the country was being invaded in 2022.
Her 2017 visit with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, a Russia ally who was accused of using chemical weapons on his own citizens during the country’s civil war, also prompted backlash.
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) said Trump’s latest picks were surreal, likening them to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “Going through the lookin’ glass,” he said.
“It’s starting to get bizarre. At first it just seemed like kind of standard Republican fare. And now we’re going into some interesting territory,” he said.
“It’s kind of a: who’s the last person you would ever imagine should be in a position sort of territory. And … there could be potential problems in trying to get [them] through the Senate confirmation.”
Gaetz, who would leap frog from never serving as a prosecutor to being the nation’s top law enforcement official, has many of the attributes Trump has said he wants in a future attorney general.
Even in the GOP conference dedicated to Trump, Gaetz has stood apart for his loyalty to the president-elect.
As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he’s berated the prosecutions of Trump, and accused the Justice Department and the FBI of unfairly targeting the president and other conservatives.As attorney general, he would also have oversight of the FBI.
Critics of Gaetz on both sides of the aisle pointed to his loyalty to Trump as a factor in his selection.
“When it comes to the selection of Rep. Gaetz I just think it’s silly. I believe that the president is probably rewarding him for being such a loyal soldier to the president, but the president is smart enough, and his team is smart enough, to know that Mr. Gaetz will never get confirmed by the Senate whatsoever,” said Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), a former Trump aide, adding that Gaetz will get “excoriated by members of the Senate on both sides of the aisle.”
“Micky Mouse would be better than Matt Gaetz,” he added later.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, likewise said Gaetz is “not fit” for the job.
“The Attorney General of the United States must have strong judgement, moral character, and a deep respect for the law. As almost all members of Congress know, Matt Gaetz has none of those things,” Himes wrote in a statement.
“What he does have is unconditional loyalty to Donald Trump and a willingness to weaponize the government against his political allies— an affinity that he and the president-elect share.”
Trump has a history of turning to the Justice Department to go after his enemies, doing so at least a dozen times in his first administration. He has called for the arrest of figures like special counsel Jack Smith.
Gaetz has taken his own actions on those issues, filing a complaint with the Justice Department in March accusing Smith of election interference.
And he’s been aggressive in grilling Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chrisopher Wray and others when they’ve appeared before Congress.
He’s also a regular in floating Trump’s claims about a “deep state” within the government, and has accused the Justice Department of being weaponized against U.S. citizens.
“We ought to have a full court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people,” he tweeted just hours before his nomination was announced.
“And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”
Mike Lillis, Emily Brooks, Mychael Schnell and Alexander Bolton contributed.
