Donald Trump has sent further shockwaves through Washington’s national security and law enforcement establishment after tapping two controversial loyalists to head the US justice department and America’s spy agencies.
The selections of Matt Gaetz, a polarising Republican congressman, to be attorney-general, and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, to be director of national intelligence, come as Trump is moving quickly to stack his cabinet with personal protégés.
The moves immediately drew criticism that the president-elect is disregarding qualifications to place his most ardent supporters at the helm of the country’s crucial government institutions.
Even before the nominations of Gaetz and Gabbard were announced on Wednesday, Trump had raised eyebrows by selecting Pete Hegseth, an army veteran and Fox News host, to be his nominee as defence secretary. Trump has also made some more conventional choices for top positions, including nominating Marco Rubio, the Florida senator, to be secretary of state.
Gaetz’s proposed appointment as attorney-general comes as the Trump vows to overhaul the US Department of Justice in retaliation for the criminal investigations and indictments launched against him by federal prosecutors in recent years.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system. Matt will end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered faith and confidence in the justice department,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
Gaetz, 42, trained as a lawyer and practised in Florida for two years before running for Congress. Since pivoting to politics, he has been a vocal member of the hard-right coalition in Congress, supporting some of Trump’s most controversial policies and defending his actions in the lead-up to the violent riot on Capitol Hill on January 6 2021. He also played a crucial role in ousting Kevin McCarthy as Republican speaker of the House last year.
Earlier this year, Gaetz was part of a delegation of rightwing lawmakers who travelled to Manhattan to support Trump during his “hush money” trial, claiming the case was being overseen by a “corrupt judge”.
He has also used his position on the House judiciary committee to go after the DoJ on a number of issues, including the “targeting” of Elon Musk for alleged discrimination against refugees at SpaceX.
Musk, now a big Trump backer who has been at the president-elect’s side as candidates have jockeyed for top posts in the new administration, wrote on X: “The Hammer of Justice is coming.”
Gaetz, who has already resigned his House seat, would need to be confirmed by the Senate, and while Republicans are set to control the upper chamber of Congress by 53 to 47 from January, early reactions to his appointment suggested he may face an uphill battle.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill that she was “shocked” by Trump’s choice, adding: “I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr Gaetz’s hearing.”
Asked for his reaction to the appointment, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump who is set to chair the Senate judiciary committee, said: “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about that one.”
Trump has said he would seek “retribution” for individuals wronged and has called for the prosecution of opponents. If Gaetz is confirmed in this role, it “opens up a world of Trump being angry at somebody and being able to have a personal attorney-general that can carry out his various whims”, a former senior DoJ official warned.
Though Gaetz is a surprising pick, the US “has a history of attorneys-general who were picked for their closeness to the president and not their experience in either the Department of Justice or any other legal endeavour,” said Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor.
Gaetz was previously under investigation by the DoJ over the alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl and obstruction of justice. The probe was dropped in 2023. The US House of Representatives also investigated Gaetz for alleged ethics breaches, including sexual misconduct, drug use and the acceptance of gifts. He has strenuously denied the allegations.
Earlier in the day, in another controversial pick, Trump chose Gabbard, who is known for her pro-Russian views, to lead US intelligence agencies, in a move that is likely to raise big concerns among US allies.
Gabbard’s nomination follows her rapid conversion to being one of Trump’s closest allies, just four years after she ran in the Democratic presidential primary to challenge him for the White House.
“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights, and securing peace through strength,” Trump said in a statement.
Gabbard has a record of positions that are sympathetic to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including blaming Nato and Joe Biden’s administration for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. She has also claimed that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is not an “enemy” of the US.
Abigail Spanberger, a House Democrat and former CIA officer, said on X that she was “appalled” by Gabbard’s nomination. “Not only is she ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberger wrote.
“My Republican colleagues with a backbone should speak out,” she added.
Additional reporting by Lauren Fedor and Alex Rogers in Washington