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Trump Administration, Politics, News

Almost-Attorney General Matt Gaetz

The Gaetz fiasco is more about Trump than the troubled ex-Congressman and playboy.

John Dean
Dean’s List
Published in
4 min readDec 24, 2024

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Photo of Matt Gaetz, 2020, by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.

President-Elect Trump hit the ground running on November 13 when he announced the selection of Matt Gaetz to serve as Attorney General in his second administration. Political insiders gasped. Sordid rumors had been circulating about Gaetz since he first slithered into town in 2017. And his abrasive, controversial, reckless acts as a member of the House of Representatives made him a hated legislator, even among right-wing Republicans.

Donald Trump is not known for his empathy, but some suggested he offered Gaetz the job of Attorney General to spare him the career-ending action of being expelled from the House of Representatives. The House Ethics Committee was about to publish the results of its investigation of various criminal and ethical allegations against Gaetz. These allegations included sex trafficking, drug use, and misuse of Congressional funds and services.

It should have been obvious that Gaetz would receive intense scrutiny in the Senate if nominated, but Trump was basking in the glory of his electoral win. He assumed that most Republican Senators would vote for all his nominees, regardless of their…

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Dean’s List
Dean’s List

Published in Dean’s List

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John Dean
John Dean

Written by John Dean

Writing on politics, photography, nature, the environment, dogs, and, occasionally, humor. Editor of Dean’s List.

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