ALANNA DURKIN RICHER matt gaetz
Former White House aide Claudia Rosett with her tweet about Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was once a subject of sex trafficking inquiry by the Justice Department he has been chosen to lead, and he’s face earlier attention from the House Ethics Committee over alleged offenses this week including sexual misconduct in Washington, D.C., Nov. 24, 2022 (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
effectively ended that probe when matt gaetz left Congress.
If confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, it would make him as the nation’s new top federal law enforcement officer — which comes after years of protective fortresses that have kept scandals surrounding Gaetz at bay for now.matt gaetz.matt gaetz
Gaetz has adamantly denied any wrongdoing and said in the fall of last year that there shouldn’t be any federal charges against him regarding a Justice Department investigation into alleged sex trafficking involving underage girls.
His attorney general will oversee a Justice Department that has been one of the targets of Trump’s wrath as he faces two criminal cases accusing him: one for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and another for hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Cast by Trump as the target of politically driven prosecutions, the former president promised time and again on the campaign trail he would exact revenge upon his political foes if given a new term in office.
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Gaetz would presumably not be confirmed in time to watch over special counsel Jack Smith — who filed two federal indictments against Trump, but whose work is expected to wrap up before the president-elect assumes office. Smith’s office is thought to depart his post ahead of Trump’s inauguration, but special counsels traditionally write reports on their work that are subjected to public scrutiny and it remains unknown when one might be released.