Donald Trump’s message to US Justice Department with Matt Gaetz appointment: this is war

Matt Gaetz is a truly explosive choice for attorney-general, writes Cameron Stewart. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump has openly declared war on a Justice Department that has pursued him for years by nominating maverick congressman Matt Gaetz, a fierce critic of the department, as his next attorney-general.

The nomination of Gaetz is a truly explosive choice that may yet blow up in Trump’s face.

It will be an stark early test of loyalty for Trump Republicans in congress, many of whom deeply dislike their divisive colleague and may seek to veto his appointment.

Gaetz’s nomination will widely be seen as Trump’s act of “revenge” against the nation’s law enforcement apparatus and is easily the most controversial choice by the president-elect as he builds his new administration. Yet it may be a step too far, even for Trump’s own party.

The Florida congressman is a true Trump loyalist and an outspoken critic of what he says is a series of politically motivated charges against the incoming president. Yet he carries more baggage with him than a passenger jet.

If the Senate confirms him, Gaetz would preside over a Justice Department he hates, not least because it investigated him for years as part of a sex trafficking probe. Until Wednesday, Gaetz was still being investigated by the House of Representatives ethics committee over allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct and drug use, but he resigned from congress immediately after Trump announced his nomination, effectively ending that investigation.

Gaetz is a firm believer in the dangers posed by the so-called deep state and has even called for abolishing the DOJ and FBI barring significant changes.

He saw nothing wrong with the January 6 invasion of the Capitol building and is widely seen as an incendiary bomb-thrower for the MAGA cause.

Trump has not tried to hide the role he wants Gaetz to play, saying “Matt will end weaponised government … and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department”.

The 42-year-old Gaetz may struggle to get confirmed by the Senate because he is deeply disliked by many colleagues for his role in leading a successful campaign to sabotage then Republican house Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

That campaign ended McCarthy’s tenure but threw Republicans into a prolonged state of paralysis.

Several moderate Republican senators have already indicated they may oppose his nomination and it will be an early test for the new Republican majority in the Senate, which has elected John Thune as its next leader.

Thune is an old school establishment Republican rather than a MAGA advocate and his support for Trump is unlikely to be as secure as the new president would like. He has clashed in the past with Trump, once calling on him to drop out of the 2016 presidential race after the Access Hollywood scandal and condemning the then president over the January 6 invasion of the Capitol.

The president-elect is choosing a new-look administration that is an eclectic mix of traditional Republicans such as newly nominated secretary of state Marco Rubio and disruptive MAGA loyalists such as billionaire Elon Musk.

Trump has now added another disruptive loyalist to his team by nominating the often-maverick former Democrat-turned-Republican Tulsi Gabbard as his director of national intelligence.

Her nomination cements a Trump national security, military and intelligence team that is highly suspicious of, and sometimes hostile to, the very purpose of these institutions.

This will be of great concern to many inside America’s intelligence, military and law enforcement community.

Yet they can hardly be surprised because a majority of Americans elected Trump to challenge the status quo in Washington. And that’s clearly what he plans to do.