Mr. Trump announced on November 13 on the social network Truth Social: "Matt will end the weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore the badly broken trust of Americans in the Department of Justice."
Mr. Gaetz — a conservative and Trump loyalist from Florida — spent several days at Mar-a-Lago last week and traveled to Washington with Mr. Trump on the presidential plane on November 13, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
After Mr. Trump's nomination announcement, Mr. Gaetz shared on social network X, affirming that he was honored to serve as US Attorney General.
The position of US Attorney General must be approved by the US Senate after Mr. Trump officially nominated him. If confirmed, Mr. Gaetz will take over the top US law enforcement agency.
CNN said Mr. Gaetz has relatively limited experience practicing law, especially when recent attorneys general have had experience as a prosecutor, judge or nationally known defense attorney. Mr. Gaetz has spent most of his professional career after graduating from the College of William & Mary Law School as a politician.
The position of US Attorney General will be very important for Donald Trump's second term as US President, helping to implement the president-elect's policies on immigration and reproductive health.
According to ABC News, President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General has left many Justice Department officials in a state of shock.
Several anonymous members of the roughly 110,000-member Justice Department described an atmosphere of fear at the prospect of Mr. Gaetz potentially taking the helm of America’s top law enforcement agency.
“This cannot be true,” a Justice Department official told ABC News. “There will be mass resignations if he is sworn in,” another official added.
Current US Attorney General Merrick Garland has yet to publicly comment on Donald Trump's personnel choices.
