And the pick is in...
President-elect Trump did not waste much time selecting his Attorney General. Assuming the Republican-controlled Senate confirms him, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz will be the next AG.
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Justice in Brief
In the District for the District of Columbia, a hacker, in 2016, entered a cryptocurrency website without authorization and removed nearly 120,000 bitcoin and then laundered the proceeds.
In the Eastern District of Virginia, a former US Government employee was indicted for retaining two national security documents without authorization and showing them to a person not entitled to receive them.
In the Middle District of Florida, an 18-year-old entered a guilty plea to making dozens of swatting calls over the last year, even offering to do so in return for payment. In these calls, the boy claimed attacks were imminent at churches, schools or other public places, necessitating police response.
Donald Trump selects…
Last week, President-elect Donald Trump announced numerous appointments for key positions within his Administration. He selected former (he resigned the day of the nomination) Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. Now, Gaetz must be confirmed by the Republican-controlled United States Senate. This process will begin in January when the new Congress convenes. Though several Republican Senators have expressed dismay at the Gaetz’s nomination and other have said they do not believe they will confirm Gaetz, by the time of the actual vote (should one actually occur), it is likely that the Senate will confirm Gaetz. In the first of several issues that will look at the issues relating to the transfer of Justice Department control from Democrats to Republicans, this week’s issue will focus on Gaetz and why his nomination has generated reservations.
Matt Gaetz was born in Florida and attended Florida State for his undergraduate degree and then received his law degree from William & Mary. After graduation, he returned to Florida, passed the Florida Bar Exam and began practicing law at a small firm in his Florida hometown. Three years later, in 2010, Gaetz won a special election to fill a vacant Florida House seat. In this role, he served as Chair of the Criminal Justice subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. In 2016, he ran for the US House of Representatives in Florida’s 1st Congressional District. The District is one of the strongest Republican districts in the United States. Once Gaetz won the Republican primary, his success in the general election was assured. He easily won re-election through 2024. As a member of Congress, he served on the Judiciary Committee which has oversight responsibility for the Justice Department. In 2023, in an interview with Newsmax, Gaetz speculated that he could become Attorney General in a second Trump administration.
As a member of Congress, Gaetz attracted controversy. The most notable is that the Justice Department spent several years investigating Gaetz in connection with sex trafficking and drug use. New reports alleged that Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with at least one 17 year old girl. Allegations also emerged that Gaetz, through an intermediary, paid the girls for their services. Various drugs were also used during the encounters. In September 2022, the Justice Department concluded their investigation without filing charges, claiming that the main witnesses had credibility problems. Once the Republicans gained control of Congress in 2022, Gaetz led the fight to remove Republican Speaker Mike McCarthy from his position. This led to a month-long fight to replace McCarthy and solidified Gaetz’s credentials among the far-right wing of the Republican House membership.
From his position on the House Judiciary Committee, Gaetz attacked a variety of prosecutors for not acting in accord with then-former-President Trump’s positions. Gaetz, in October 2023, claimed that federal prosecutors including Attorney General Garland, DC United States Attorney Matthew Graves, and Hunter Biden special counsel, Trump-appointed US Attorney for Delaware, David Weiss were not objective. He said, “All Americans should be concerned about the conflicts of interest that [Attorney General Merrick] Garland, Graves, and even Weiss have, given their loyalty to the Biden family.” When it came to President Joe Biden, Gaetz expressed concern that Hur did not pursue the ghostwriter who obtained access to national security information after Biden was vice president.
Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to investigate and prosecute then-former-President Trump, was a key target. In the spring, Gaetz filed a complaint with the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General that Smith was interfering in the electoral process by pursuing the cases against Trump and not consenting to defense counsel’s requests for delays. Gaetz said, “The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan exercise, and the American people know it,…The actions of the Special Counsel Smith to speed up the trial against President Trump violate the DOJ’s rules and the law.” Nine months prior to that, as potential charges against the former President hung in the balance, Gaetz threatened to defund the case. “In the coming hours, the coming days, I will be introducing legislation under my name, in the House of Representatives, as a freestanding bill, to defund the Jack Smith investigation,…And one reason why is the election interference feature. Another reason why: the lack of transparency.” These efforts and similar others demonstrated his loyalty to President-elect Trump.
As a House member, Gaetz introduced legislation and made other comments that reveal his potential priorities as Attorney General. Gaetz advocated abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Its main priority is enforcing the nation’s firearms laws. According to Gaetz, the BATFE is too eager to restrict people’s right to possess firearms. While firearms prosecutions may be reduced, Gaetz will likely emphasize immigration-related prosecutions. He has made numerous statements opposing immigration and the need to deport non-citizens. On the January 6 prosecutions, Gaetz will likely slow down or delay the cases. Last spring, the US Supreme Court restricted the scope of one charge used against the January 6 defendants. Today’s Justice Department is working on revising their charges. Most likely, this will end should Gaetz become Attorney General.
Gaetz also provided his own preview. He argued that the Garland Justice Department had become weaponized against the American people. On X, he said he would present a “full court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people….And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”
This background has generated concern from Democrats and some Republicans. Apart from this, Gaetz would be only the second Attorney General this century with no prosecutorial background prior to become Attorney General. The only other, Alberto Gonzalez, resigned the post after becoming embroiled in an administrative scandal. Prior to Gonzalez, the last Attorney General with no prosecutorial experience was William French Smith, President Reagan’s first Attorney General.
Later in the week, Trump announced nominees for other leadership roles within the Department. Next week’s issue will profile those people and pontificate on how these nominees might interact with Gaetz.
I hope you enjoyed this issue and that it made you stop and think. I would love to hear any comments, questions, concerns, or criticisms that you have. Leave a comment or send a message! Also, if you enjoyed this or if it challenged your thinking, please subscribe and share with others!