Matt Gaetz Attorney General Nomination May Spark ‘Interesting’ Confirmation

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as U.S. attorney general could set up “interesting” Senate confirmation hearings.

Trump, who decisively defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s presidential election, sent shock waves through Washington on Wednesday when he announced Gaetz as his pick to become the nation’s top law enforcement official. Gaetz has limited experience as a lawyer and is currently facing a House ethics investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

Despite Republicans winning control of the Senate alongside the presidency—the GOP is expected to have a 53 to 47 seat majority in the upper chamber in January—it is far from certain that Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general. Some Republican lawmakers, like Senator Susan Collins of Maine, have already expressed dismay over Trump’s choice.

CNN host Phil Mattingly wrote that Gaetz would face “an interesting confirmation process” while sharing Trump’s announcement on X, formerly Twitter.

Kellie Meyer, Washington correspondent for NewsNation, also predicted that Gaetz would face a difficult confirmation process while comparing him to Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who Trump has tapped as Secretary of State.

“2 Florida men and 2 very different paths to confirmation,” Meyer wrote on X. “Sen. Rubio likely won’t have a hard time getting through Senate confirmation, getting bipartisan praise. Rep. Gaetz on the other hand, may have a hard time. He’s being investigated by House Ethics for sexual misconduct.”

Newsweek reached out to Gaetz and Trump via email for comment on Wednesday.

NBC News journalist Andrea Mitchell wrote that “some” GOP senators were “expressing shock at the choice of Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General,” pointing out that Senator John Cornyn of Texas did not dispute “that unresolved House ethics investigation of the Florida Congressman will be part of confirmation process.”

Democratic Senator-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey preemptively declared that he would not support Gaetz’s appointment regardless of the confirmation hearings.

“I was originally going to hold off on commenting on nominations at this stage but I cannot stay quiet here,” wrote Kim. “I don’t need a confirmation hearing to know that Matt Gaetz is not qualified for Attorney General. I will not support his confirmation.”

Democratic campaign operative Julius Hernandez went one step further, saying that Gaetz will not get confirmed because “even the most partisan senators know how disastrous this pick would be.”

“Bookmark this tweet when they have to pull his nomination,” Hernandez wrote. “It’ll be Trumps first huge embarrassment. [Incoming White House Chief of Staff] Susie Wiles is doing an awful job so far.”

“The Matt Gaetz confirmation hearings should be fun,” wrote conservative blogger @Izengabe_. “My guess is Democrats will take every detail of every allegation in the Department of Justice investigation of Gaetz for sex trafficking & air them for all to bare. It will make what they did to [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh look like kid gloves.”

While cabinet positions like attorney general typically require Senate confirmation, Trump has demanded that GOP Senate leaders agree to him making “recess appointments,” which could allow picks like Gaetz to assume their roles without confirmation.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky told reporters in Washington Wednesday that Gaetz “doesn’t need to” get confirmed by the Senate because he will be a recess appointment.

“He’s the attorney general. Suck it up,” said Massie.