ORLANDO, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as U.S. attorney general, the latest nominee as Trump tries to fill out his White House cabinet.

“Matt is a profoundly talented and tenacious attorney trained at the William & Mary College of Law who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving much-needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system. Matt will end gun government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and trust in the Department of Justice,” said Trump in a statement.

Gaetz, 42, represents Florida’s 1st District.

“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s attorney general,” Rep. Gaetz said in a post on X.

“Congratulations,” replied Elon Musk, whom Trump tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Moments earlier, Trump selected Senator Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of state.

Who is Matt Gaetz?

Gaetz was born in South Florida but grew up in the Florida Panhandle, graduating from Niceville High School in 2000. He attended Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary science in 2003. Gaetz then pursued a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence from William & Mary Law School, graduating in 2007.

After working at a private law firm in Fort Walton Beach for three years, Gaetz, the son of former Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, launched his own political career.

In March 2010, he won a special election in Florida House District 4 to replace Republican state representative Ray Sansom, who resigned after corruption allegations. Gaetz ran unopposed later that year in the general election for a full term. After redistricting, he was re-elected unopposed in 2012 and 2014.

In 2016, Gaetz was elected to represent Florida’s 1st Congressional District, which includes the Panhandle cities of Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin and is home to a number of military bases.

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During his tenure in Congress, Gaetz served on the House Armed Services and Judiciary Committees, as well as on a number of subcommittees, including the Criminal Justice Subcommittee and the Subcommittee on Arming the Federal Government.

Gaetz is a member of the Freedom Caucus, a group of congressional representatives considered to be among the most conservative, and was instrumental in ousting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy following the 2022 midterm elections, in which Republicans regained control of the chamber.

Gaetz has been the subject of a years-long House investigation, spurred by the Department of Justice (DOJ), looking into reports in early 2021 that he had a relationship with an underage girl. The DOJ declined to indict Gaetz in 2023.

In June, the House Ethics Committee expanded its review to include allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct. Gaetz categorically denied all allegations before the commission.

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