Donald Trump has sent a further shock to national security and law enforcement agencies in Washington after nominating two controversial allies to head the US Department of Justice and America’s spy agencies.
The selection of polarizing Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz as attorney general and former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence comes as President Trump rushes to fill his cabinet with personal allies. It happened while it was moving.
The move immediately drew criticism that the president-elect was flouting his qualifications to put his most ardent supporters at the helm of the nation’s most important government agencies.
Even before Gaetz and Gabbard’s nominations were announced on Wednesday, President Trump had raised eyebrows by choosing Pete Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News host, as his nominee for secretary of defense. Mr. Trump has also made more traditional choices for top positions, such as nominating Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state.
Gates’ nomination as attorney general comes as President Trump has vowed to overhaul the U.S. Department of Justice in retaliation for criminal investigations and indictments launched against him by federal prosecutors in recent years.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system. It will restore the people’s faith and confidence in the Department of Justice,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
gates, The 42-year-old was trained as a lawyer and practiced in Florida for two years before running for Congress. Since pivoting into politics, he has supported some of President Trump’s most controversial policies as a vocal member of the far-right coalition in Congress, including the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. He has defended President Trump’s actions ahead of the violent riot. Last year, he played a key role in ousting Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Earlier this year, Gates was part of a group of right-wing lawmakers who traveled to Manhattan to support Trump during his “hush money” trial, which he claimed was being overseen by “corrupt judges.” .
He has also used his position on the House Judiciary Committee to go after the Justice Department on a number of issues, including “targeting” Elon Musk over allegations of refugee discrimination at SpaceX.
Musk, who is now a big supporter of Trump and has stood by the president-elect’s side as candidates vie for top positions in the new administration, wrote on X: “The hammer of justice is coming.”
Gaetz must be confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans are expected to control the Senate 53-47 starting in January, but early reactions to Gaetz’s appointment suggested he could face an uphill battle.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters at the Capitol that she was “shocked” by Trump’s choice, adding, “The Gaetz hearings will raise so many questions. Dew,” he added.
Asked about his reaction to the appointment, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who is set to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about it.”
President Trump said he would seek “retribution” for wronged individuals and called for the prosecution of opponents. If Gaetz is confirmed for the role, “it opens up a world where Mr. Trump could have a personal attorney general who could be angry with anyone and carry out all sorts of whims,” said a former senior Justice Department official. warned.
Although Gaetz was a surprising selection, the United States “has a history of attorneys general chosen for their proximity to the president rather than their experience in the Justice Department or other legal work,” said former Congressman Daniel Richman. says Mr. Prosecutor.
Gates was previously investigated by the Justice Department on suspicion of sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl and obstruction of justice. The investigation was discontinued in 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives also investigated Gates for sexual misconduct, drug use, accepting gifts and other ethics violations. He has strongly denied the allegations.
Earlier, in another controversial pick, President Trump nominated Gabbard, known for her pro-Russian views, to head the U.S. intelligence community, a move that could raise major concerns among U.S. allies. Highly sexual.
Gabbard’s nomination comes just four years after she ran in the Democratic presidential primary to challenge Trump for the White House, following her rapid transformation into one of Trump’s closest allies. It was a nomination.
“I know that Mr. Tulsi will bring to our nation’s intelligence services the fearlessness that has defined his distinguished career, defending constitutional rights and ensuring peace through force,” President Trump said in a statement. ”
Gabbard has a history of taking positions sympathetic to the Russian government and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including criticizing NATO and the Joe Biden administration for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. be. She also claimed that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad was illegitimate. They are not “enemies” of the United States.
Abigail Spanberger, a House Democrat and former CIA official, told X that she was “appalled” by Gabbard’s nomination. “Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, she is peddling conspiracy theories and colluding with dictators like Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberger wrote.
“My Republican colleagues with backbone should speak up,” she added.
Additional reporting in Washington by Lauren Fedor and Alex Rogers
