‘It’s never been more over’: Trump names alleged human trafficker Matt Gaetz as attorney general
Just when you think the upcoming Trump administration couldn’t get any worse… it can. In a post on Truth Social, incumbent president Donald Trump announced that he would be appointing Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as the U.S. Attorney General. Trump went on to praise Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice”. Gaetz took to X to reply that it would be “an honor to serve” Trump’s administration.
X user @hasanthehun lamented the decision, citing the irony that Gaetz, who is currently under investigation for sex trafficking charges by a house ethics committee, is set to become one of the highest ranking members of the U.S. justice system.
The irony deepens. If Gaetz is confirmed by the Senate, he will succeed the acting Attorney General Merrick Garland, the man who led the sex-trafficking case against the congressman in the first place. Prosecutors spent months investigating Gaetz for criminal activity, centering around the allegation that the congressman was involved in the trafficking of a 17 year old girl. A former associate of Gaetz, Florida tax collector Joel Greenburg, told investigators that Gaetz had been involved in the scheme. Greenburg later pled guilty to trafficking charges, along with five other crimes, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The Department of Justice meanwhile declined to issues formal charges against Gaetz himself.
Greenburg was not the only person to accuse Gaetz of trafficking. An anonymous witness told the investigation committee that she had received Venmo payments from Gaetz in enhance for sexual services, and that Gaetz was a frequent attendee of drug and sex fueled parties where human trafficking had allegedly taken place. Gaetz himself has denied these allegations, saying “someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward” when referring to the Venmo payments.
Despite Gaetz’ denials and the DOJ’s refusal to indict him, the House the Ethics Committee is continuing its own investigation. The committee has issued a subpoena for him in its sex-trafficking and drugs probe, a subpoena that Gaetz does not intend to comply with. “I explicitly reserve all of my rights pursuant to House Rules and the U.S. Constitution,” he wrote in a letter to the committee on X.
Many of Gaetz’ Republican colleagues were shocked by the decision to appointed Gaetz. “Shocked” was the exact word Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine used to describe her reaction to the news. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho had a more flabbergasted response: “are you shittin’ me?”
I wish Trump was shittin’ you, Mr.Simpson. I wish that he was shittin’ us all. Sadly, it appears that Trump is serious. He has decided to appoint a man who is currently under investigation for one of the vilest crimes imaginable. Considering that he himself is a convicted rapist has been accused by dozens more women of sexual misconduct, I don’t think Trump particularly cares at all.
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