LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Allies of President-elect Trump have said his choice for attorney general was the most important of all his cabinet selections. Now we know his choice, a Florida lawmaker who's faced repeated investigations.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Congressman Matt Gaetz gained attention in recent years as a provocateur. Early in the pandemic, he wore a gas mask onto the floor of the House of Representatives. Later, he took part in the bid to overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat, and also played a big role in unseating House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. Democrats and also some Republicans immediately questioned Trump's choice, and Maine Senator Susan Collins said she was shocked.
FADEL: NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has been following the reaction, and she's here to talk more about it now. Good morning, Carrie.
CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK, so President-elect Trump has made no secret about his disgust with the Justice Department, which sought to prosecute him twice during the Biden years. What does the selection of Matt Gaetz say about the direction Trump might be going?
JOHNSON: I think it says a lot. Just like Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz has been under investigation by federal prosecutors and the FBI, in Gaetz's case for allegations about sex trafficking. Gaetz faced no criminal charges, and he said that federal investigation is over. But he's still been under review by the ethics committee in the House of Representatives. That ethics probe actually ended when he resigned from the House last night. The committee had been planning to release their findings perhaps as early as this week, but it's not clear that will happen now that Gaetz has resigned from the House. And, Leila, it's also worth mentioning Matt Gaetz actually asked Donald Trump for a pardon in the final weeks of the last Trump administration after the siege on the Capitol, but he did not get one.
FADEL: So what about credentials? What credentials does Gaetz bring to the Justice Department?
JOHNSON: Gaetz has minimal legal experience, but he seems to have the most important credential for the incoming president, and that's loyalty. Trump called Gaetz a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney who stands out for pushing for deeply needed reform at the Justice Department. And Trump says Gaetz will root out what he calls corruption within the Justice Department and perhaps carry out what the president-elect has called his campaign of retribution against prosecutors and his perceived political enemies.
FADEL: As you heard Steve mention, Gaetz has been a controversial figure in Congress. What's the reaction to this idea?
JOHNSON: You know, it was surprising to many lawyers in Washington, including some prominent Republicans. Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both senators, expressed surprise last night. Matt Gaetz has really been a firebrand, really a disruptive force, even within the House of Representatives. Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, says Matt Gaetz will be a disaster. And the interest group Public Citizen called him uniquely awful. That group pointed out Gaetz said the Capitol riot was not an insurrection, and that Gaetz had actually moved to introduce legislation to support the rioters.
FADEL: OK, so if Gaetz manages to get confirmed by Congress, Carrie, just remind us what exactly the attorney general does.
JOHNSON: It's a huge job. The attorney general runs an institution with more than 100,000 people, prosecutes crimes, defends civil rights laws, fights drug trafficking and oversees the FBI. This job requires strong judgment and respect for the law.
FADEL: That is NPR's Carrie Johnson. Thank you for your reporting, Carrie.
JOHNSON: My pleasure. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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