• President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Matt Gaetz to be his next attorney general.

• News of Gaetz’s nomination shocked Washington.

• Gaetz has a long history of making controversial comments and has long been a magnet for controversy.

President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of controversial former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general shocked Washington.

In just under seven years in Washington, Gaetz has led the historic removal of a speaker of the House and made the object of Justice Department investigation to find out if he sexually trafficked a minor. He has also been the subject of several investigations by the House Ethics Committee.

Whether Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general remains an open question. If he does, the Floridian’s past calls to dismantle the Justice Department — which includes the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — will be put to the test.

Here are some of the most controversial moments of Gaetz’s career so far:

He invited a Holocaust denier to the State of the Union

One of Gaetz’s first major moments was the controversy over his 2018 invitation to notorious internet troll Charles C. Johnson to attend Trump’s first State of the Union address. Gaetz told The Daily Beast that he simply invited Johnson because “he showed up in my office.” Gaetz later defended Johnson, who he said never “believed” that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, telling Fox Business that his guest “is not a Holocaust denier, he is not a white supremacist.”

A warning to Michael Cohen sparks a frenzy

Michael Cohen, then-President Trump’s former fixer, was just a day away from testifying before the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee when Gaetz threw a fit.

“Do your wife and father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time to have that conversation,” Gaetz tweeted in February 2019. “I wonder if she’ll stay true when you’re in jail. . She is about to learn a lot.”

House Democrats were outraged. Gaetz deleted his tweet and later offered a rare apology.

“While it is important to create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intention to threaten, as some believe I did,” Gaetz tweeted, citing Nancy Pelosi’s implied rebuke. “I’m deleting the tweet and should have chosen words that better show my intent. Sorry.”

Democrats have asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate the matter. The panel later cleared Gaetz of wrongdoing but admonished him for not reflecting “credibly on the House of Representatives.” The Florida Bar Association, which conducted its own investigation into the matter, also disbarred Gaetz, though it also criticized his action.

Gaetz’s “wing” was charged with sex crimes. He almost knocked over the congressman too.

In the final months of the Trump administration, the Justice Department opened an investigation whether Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her trip, potentially violating sex-trafficking laws.

Gaetz’s conduct came to light during a separate investigation of Joel Greenberga local Florida official whom the congressman once described as his “wing man.” Greenberg was in the end convict to 11 years in prison.

The news unleashed a frenzy. Reporters flocked to Gaetz’s Venmo payments at Greenberg. Business Insider and other publications have reported on Gaetz’s behavior in the Florida House, including a “Harry Potter” themed one. sexual competition. Colleagues of Gaetz told reporters that the congressman bragged about the women he slept with and would show them nude photos.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In February 2023, Gaetz’s lawyers said in a statement that the DOJ would not indict the congressman. The Washington Post previously reported that prosecutors weren’t sure they would get a conviction they could uphold based on credibility issues with key witnesses.

He almost got into an argument on the House floor

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was tipped to be the next speaker of the House when Republicans took back the chamber in the 2022 midterms. Gaetz and a handful of other lawmakers had other plans. Things reached a boiling point in January 2023 after the 14th failed vote. Rep. Alabama’s Mike Rogers, chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, had to be restrained after he lunges at Gaetzwhose opposition to McCarthy continued to prevent him from obtaining the speaker’s gavel.

McCarthy won the next election. Rogers later he apologized for his deeds.

Gaetz’s beef with McCarthy continues

McCarthy became speaker, but Gaetz and other conservatives held a procedural sword over his head. A single member could start the process of recalling the Speaker of the Chamber. In October 2023, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate. With the help of seven other House Republicans and Democrats, McCarthy was ousted from power.

Gaetz said he led the charge to oust McCarthy over policy differences. McCarthy never wavered from the belief that his historic ouster was rooted in revenge.

“I’ll tell you the truth why I’m not speaker,” McCarthy said in April 2024. “Because a person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old, a ethics that began before I ever became a speaker. And that’s illegal, and I’m not going to get in the middle.”

McCarthy also told Gaetz belong in “prison”.

McCarthy and Gaetz continue to remain at odds. During the 2024 Republican National Convention, Gaetz had to be kicked out after disturbing McCarthy while the former speaker was giving a TV interview.

“What night are you talking about?” Gaetz said mockingly. “Are you talking tonight?”

After Gaetz’s nomination was announced, McCarthy predicted his foe would not be confirmed.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating Gaetz

The House Ethics Committee opened its investigation into Gaetz in 2021. The secretive panel suspended its investigation while the DOJ allegations persisted, but in May 2023, it resumed.

The committee, which rarely makes public statements, has gone so far as to say it is investigating whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, accepted improper gifts or obstructed investigations. Gaetz has denied all allegations.

According to the Times, lawmakers were set to vote Friday to release their damning findings into Gaetz’s conduct. Before he could do so, the Florida Republican abruptly resigned. Trump had just nominated him to be the next attorney general.

Read the original article on Business Insider