Gaetz pick shows value Trump places on loyalty and retribution

President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday, bypassing more experienced options in favor of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a disruptor and whom Trump has tasked with dramatically overhauling the Justice Department.

Gaetz represents much of the Florida Panhandle and became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing as a frequent staunch defender of Trump on cable news.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says Trump has few defender as in Congress as reliable as Gaetz.

“One of the things that I think is really interesting to note about the appointment announcement, the selection announcement, is the virtues that Trump cites. And chief among those is essentially Gaetz's loyalty to him and the fact that he has been a defender of him during the course of the Russia investigation, and the fact that he shares, in Trump's view, Trump's desire to sort of dismantle elements of the Justice Department and really start fresh,” Tucker said.

Gaetz irked fellow GOP members in early 2023 when he filed the resolution that successfully ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

McCarthy then helped fund a primary challenge to Gaetz that included commercials alleging that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, an allegation currently investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and the Justice Department ended its own sex trafficking investigation without bringing charges against him.

“The Justice Department examined allegations that he had a sexual encounter with an underage woman. That investigation was closed without any charges. And the House Ethics Committee has separately embarked on an investigation that remains pending,” Tucker said