Florida has not been sending their best to Capitol Hill for quite some time. Yet, even among all the muck, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz stands out in the worst possible way.
Now Gaetz, who has faced allegations of sex trafficking, has been nominated by Trump to be Attorney General. Perhaps Trump, who has been heavily implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein child sex trafficking scandal, wants to ensure the man in one of the most powerful legal positions in the land is willing to look the other way when it comes to prosecuting those who sexually abuse kids. Most likely, though, Trump just likes the fact that Gaetz is a grade-A bootlicker.
Gaetz seems keen to take on the position, having already resigned from the House. This has come at an excellent time for the Floridian, as he was facing an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into allegations that he sex-trafficked a 17-year old girl. The committee was also looking into accusations against him that included accepting bribes, and sharing inappropriate messages or videos on the House floor (a la famous conservative judge and, um, NSFW content addict Clarence Thomas).
Regardless of why Gaetz has been nominated, it’s a sad fact of the election results that he has a major chance of taking on the role. Unlike many Trump appointees, though, Gaetz is at least somewhat qualified for the role. He did study law, and briefly worked as an attorney, so he does have some knowledge of the American legal system. With that said, his license to practice was suspended by the Florida Bar in 2021, for unpaid fees. And, realistically, looking at his legal career and the criminality that surrounds him, he’s unlikely to be good at the job, at least in a traditional sense.
The thing is, Trump and his ilk most likely don’t care about that. And where Gaetz will excel is with his loyalty to the convicted felon who is due to take charge of the country in January 2025. Thankfully, the way the system is set up means that there is a chance his nomination will be torpedoed. Trump’s control of Congress and the Senate are quite thin, so it would just take a couple of Republican holdouts to stop Gaetz.
So, will Gaetz be any good at the job? He’s probably gleaned enough legal knowledge from the various crimes he’s been implicated in to at least give it a go, in his own special way. Whether or not that’s enough remains to be seen, but we won’t be holding our breath.