WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general as he moves quickly to assemble a Cabinet.
“Matt will end the armed government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ shattered faith and trust in the Department of Justice,” Trump said in a statement announcing the selection, which would depend on require confirmation by the Republican majority. Senate.
Trump’s inner circle has described the attorney general as the most important member of the administration after Trump himself, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon the January 6 rioters and exact retribution against those who killed him. have prosecuted over the past four years.
During his first term, Trump was infuriated by what he called an obstructive Justice Department, including Attorneys General Jeff Sessions, who allowed an investigation into alleged contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, and Bill Barr, who publicly made his false claims about his 2020 campaign. election loss was the result of fraud.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone)
