President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be his next attorney general, sending shockwaves across the political landscape as Trump works to quickly staff his new administration. Democrats have reacted to the news, criticizing the decision. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said of the nomination that it is probably ... the most questionable of any so far." He added, "I think there will be very broad, deep-seated skepticism about his credibility and credentials. It seems like a highly surprising, even bizarre, choice." Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called Gaetz a potential "disaster as the next Attorney General of the United States." In his nomination, Trump said that Gaetz a "deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice." Serving in Congress since 2017, Gaetz was the target of a now-closed Justice Department investigation into charges of child sex trafficking, which he has categorically rejected, and is currently being investigated by the House Ethics Committee.
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07:33 AM EST
WATCH: Mike Johnson say Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz submitted his resignation letter on Wednesday.
The move came a few hours after President-elect Donald Trump introduced Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general. Gaetz will still need to be confirmed by the Senate before taking the position.
"He issued his resignation letter effective immediately," Johnson told reporters about Gaetz, according to Fox News' Aishah Hasnie.
"That caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said. "But I asked him what the reasoning was. And he said, well, you can't have too many absences."
07:30 AM EST
Matt Gaetz nomination stuns legal experts: 'Vomit in your mouth'
President-elect Donald Trump's decision to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general stunned legal experts, with some decrying Gaetz as unqualified for the role.
Trump called Gaetz a "deeply gifted and tenacious attorney" when he announced the pick on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday. As attorney general, Gaetz would "root out systemic corruption" at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Trump said.
Gaetz, a fierce Trump loyalist who has frequently criticized the DOJ, resigned from his House seat shortly after the announcement.
Legal experts have questioned Trump's selection of Gaetz due to his limited legal experience and because he is being tapped to lead a department that previously investigated him. Gaetz's office and a spokesperson for Trump have been contacted for comment via email.
Read the full story by Khaleda Rahman on Newsweek.
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