Up until last week, Gaetz, a contentious legislator, was the focus of inquiries into possible sexual misconduct.
Trump has nominated Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz for attorney general, a position that includes serving as the top prosecutor and head of the Department of Justice, and overseeing agencies like the FBI. This move has sparked political debate.
Trump has announced the nomination of Brett Gaetz as attorney general, citing his background as a lawyer and member of the House Judiciary Committee. Trump has previously attacked the Justice Department for bringing two federal cases against him.
Gaetz is expected to address "systemic corruption" in the department and return it to its mission of fighting crime and upholding democracy.
However, his investigations for alleged improper and illegal behavior have caused animosity among his congressional colleagues and within his own party.
Gaetz will need to pass a Senate confirmation hearing before being confirmed as attorney general.
Republicans are set to have a 53-seat majority in the upcoming formation, but a split in opinions about Attorney General Gaetz could potentially hinder his chances.
Only four "no" votes from Republicans and united Democrat opposition could lead to the nomination being rejected.
Matt Gaetz is who?
Prior to this week, Gaetz, 42, represented Florida in the US House of Representatives.
Having served since 2017, he resigned on Wednesday after being nominated for attorney general. Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and portions of Walton counties were among those he represented.
The politician entered politics after completing a brief stint in private practice after graduating from Virginia's William & Mary Law School in 2007.
He was carrying on the family tradition of his father, Don Gaetz, who served in the Florida state senate from 2006 to 2016 and will be appointed a senator again after the general elections in 2024.
Matt Gaetz, a far-right ideologist, endorsed the Great Replacement Theory in 2021 on X, a social media platform. The theory, promoted by white American nationalists, falsely claims that Democrats are intentionally replacing white people with non-whites through mass migration. Gaetz's tweet remains active on the platform.
In 2018, Gaetz invited right-wing Holocaust denier Charles "Chuck" Johnson to Trump's State of the Union Address as Florida's guest. He has also criticized abortion rights protesters as "ugly."
Gaetz expressed his honor to serve as attorney general in an X post.
The Justice Department initiated a federal sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg in early 2021, examining whether they paid or gave gifts to underage girls and escorts in exchange for sex with themselves and other men while on a trip to the Bahamas.
The investigation also investigated whether Gaetz and other associates tried to obtain government jobs for some of the women.
Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in all the allegations, claiming they were part of an "extortion plot" and that "no part of the allegations against me are true." Greenberg, a fellow Republican politician from Florida, later pled guilty to sex trafficking of a minor and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. However, Gaetz stated in February 2023 that the DOJ had ended the investigation against him and was not pressing charges.
Gaetz has been under investigation since 2021 by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee over allegations of trafficking a 17-year-old girl.
The committee also investigated him for illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts as a lawmaker, and obstructing a government investigation. The committee was preparing to release a "highly critical report" about Gaetz on Friday.
However, with Gaetz's resignation, the House no longer has jurisdiction to continue its probe. The politician was repeatedly combative during questioning and delayed the House investigation for several months due to House rules forbidding the exposure of negative reports about lawmakers up for elections close to voting.
Gaetz is a close ally of Donald Trump, appearing frequently on TV programs to defend the president-elect. He supports stronger borders and opposes tighter gun ownership restrictions.
Gaetz has criticized the Justice Department's criminal charges against Trump, which relate to his handling of classified information and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
He also criticized a special probe regarding alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election in Trump's favor. After Trump failed to win the 2020 election, Gaetz and fellow Republican hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene went on "America First rally" roadshows, asking crowds in Florida, "Who is your president?" When Trump stood trial for paying hush money to adult movie star Stormy Daniels, Gaetz traveled to New York to support him.
Gaetz preemptively sought a presidential pardon for the Justice Department's investigation before Trump left office in January 2021. His nomination is seen as a reward for his support for Trump.
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