WASHINGTON. Donald Trump chooses Matt Gaetz, a 42-year-old lawyer from Florida, Republican congressman and his loyalist, for the position of Attorney General, Minister of Justice, the most delicate position in the new Administration. The announcement came like a bolt from the blue on Wednesday evening, turning the balance upside down and triggering a potential tug of war with the Senate which will have the task of ratifying the nomination. A process that currently appears impervious. At least three Republican senators have already expressed opposition to Gaetz, others have warned the candidate that the hearings will be absolutely tough for him and Senator Cornyn has asked for the disclosure of a House Ethics Committee report on sex trafficking allegations involving Gaetz. The case technically closed Wednesday evening when Gaetz announced his resignation from Capitol Hill. However, the senators believe that knowing what stage the investigations were at and shedding light on the affair involving a minor paid to have sex with Gaetz – this is the accusation – is essential to evaluate whether the now former deputy has the right cards rule to guide the US judiciary.
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Senator John Cornyn, Republican leader of the Judiciary Committee called to evaluate Gaetz, said he wanted to see the report; same position expressed by fellow Democrat Dick Durbin. The lawyer of the seventeen-year-old at the center of the story also asked to see the papers.
The case, from a legal point of view, is over and Gaetz has been cleared of any charges. His friend, the one who had a ring of girls who paid for sexual services, instead has to serve an 11-year sentence in federal prison.
The Ethics Commission had decided to investigate the deputy’s behavior anyway. It was Speaker Kevin McCarthy who decided to involve the Ethics Commission and this would be at the origin of the revolt of eight ultra-Trumpians which in October 2023 led to his removal as head of the House.
Many are convinced that the young lawyer will not survive the gallows of the Senate. It is rare for a candidate to be “ballooned” on Capitol Hill. When the atmosphere becomes difficult, it generally leads to the withdrawal of a nomination before the Commission vote.
But this opens up a further conflict. In recent days, Trump had said that he wanted to proceed with the nomination of the members of his Cabinet by bypassing the Senate, taking advantage of the periods of recess or closure and pause of work. It is an operation foreseen by the Constitution but which is applied only in rare cases and not to circumvent political obstacles.
By choosing Gaetz, Trump opted for a loyalist capable of carrying out his agenda and subverting the rules and functioning of agencies, such as the FBI. The fear is that the much reiterated retribution against internal enemies could start from the very Department that Trump and Gaetz himself have defined as a machine led by Democrats against political rivals.
According to an investigation by New York Times many Justice Department officials have already contacted law and consulting firms in the private sector to seek other employment before Trump’s arrival in the White House. Among these there is also Jack Smith, the special prosecutor investigating the January 6 and the Mar-a-Lago documents: he has already probed lobbyist firms along K-Street to leave the public administration before what is considered a certain dismissal .
