Donald Trump chooses Matt Gaetz for attorney general
Donald Trump’s choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general indicates that the gloves have come off. Gaetz has been critical of the FBI and the Justice Department for the way they handled Donald Trump and other matters. His statements align with those of Trump, who similarly talked about the double standards applied to people based on their ideological standing. Gaetz has also been subject to an investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice.
From The New York Times:
As a lawmaker, Mr. Gaetz, a graduate of William & Mary Law School, has used his perch on the House Judiciary Committee to excoriate F.B.I. and Justice Department leadership, particularly over investigations involving Mr. Trump.
Mr. Gaetz has been particularly critical of the F.B.I.’s director, Christopher A. Wray. In a confrontational hearing last year, he asked Mr. Wray if he was “protecting” the Biden family.
“Absolutely not,” Mr. Wray bristled.
In 2020, the Justice Department and the F.B.I. opened an investigation into Mr. Gaetz’s involvement several years earlier with a girl who was 17 at the time. Investigators sought to determine if he paid for sex in violation of federal sex-trafficking laws, according to people familiar with the investigation.
During the inquiry, associates of Mr. Gaetz testified before a federal grand jury in Orlando, Fla., but prosecutors ultimately concluded there was not a viable case to level charges against the congressman, who denied wrongdoing.
The investigation focused on a 2018 trip Mr. Gaetz allegedly took to the Bahamas. The girl at issue in the investigation was also on that trip, though by that time she was already 18 or older, people familiar with the matter have said. She was a central witness in the investigation, but veteran prosecutors were concerned about her credibility as well as that of another witness, according to people familiar with the decision not to pursue charges.
The investigation has long dogged him: In 2021, Mr. Gaetz was hounded outside Justice Department headquarters by hecklers who shouted “pedophile” at him.
Additional Reading:
Thrush, G. & Barrett, D. (2024, November 14). Matt Gaetz is Trump’s pick for attorney general. The New York Times. Link.
Category: Donald Trump, Government Incompetence, Society
