Washington, DC — On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he will nominate U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (FL- 01) to serve as the nation’s Attorney General, putting Gaetz – a scandal-ridden congressman currently under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics – in charge of the Department of Justice.

“Congressman Gaetz’s nomination to serve as the Attorney General is an affront to the justice system and, if confirmed, puts the DOJ on a path to accelerate harms to people and our democracy and to implement harmful actions outlined in Project 2025, which President-elect Trump and JD Vance sought to disavow during their campaign,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Rep. Gaetz was one of the leaders of President Trump’s attempt to overturn the election in 2020, and even asked for a preemptive pardon for his role in that attempt to suppress the will of the people.  We cannot trust Matt Gaetz to serve the best interest of the American people – and it is clear that despite distancing themselves from Project 2025 on the campaign trail, Trump and JD Vance are seeking to accelerate its harms.”

BACKGROUND

JANUARY 6: Gaetz was one of the most vocal members of Congress pushing conspiracy theories about voting in 2020. He voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and also voted against the creation of an independent commission to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Following the attack, he attempted to deflect blame from the far right, claiming that “Antifa” led the charge on the Capitol building. 

ETHICS INVESTIGATION: Gaetz resigned from Congress, effectively ending the investigation by the House Committee on Ethics on whether he may have “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.” Gaetz refused to participate in the investigation. 

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