President-elect Donald J. Trump’s selection of Matt Gaetz as his attorney general drew criticism from liberal media outlets and even some conservatives ones. They questioned Mr. Gaetz’s integrity and called him a risky choice for the cabinet.
Mr. Gaetz, a staunch ally of Mr. Trump and a former Republican congressman from Florida, was the subject of a three-year federal sex-trafficking inquiry, which ended in 2023 when the Justice Department declined to bring charges. He was also the subject of a House Ethics Committee inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds, among other subjects. He has repeatedly denied the accusations.
He also helped lead the successful effort to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a member of his own party, in early 2023. Mr. Gaetz resigned from the House on Wednesday, effectively ending the Ethics Committee’s inquiry, after Mr. Trump tapped him as attorney general.
Liberal outlets universally criticized Mr. Trump’s choice for attorney general, focusing on the investigations into his conduct and his promotion of Jan. 6 conspiracy theories. They predicted that Mr. Gaetz would help Mr. Trump weaponize the Justice Department against his enemies, and called him unqualified to serve as attorney general. Mr. Trump spent time on the campaign trail promising “retribution” and payback for those who had wronged him.
Some conservative commentators did praise the choice on account of Mr. Gaetz’s fealty to Mr. Trump. Yet others were less convinced, calling Mr. Gaetz a “terrible choice” for his alleged misconduct and bucking of party leadership.
Here’s how a few outlets covered the news:
FROM THE RIGHT
Fox News
Conservative commentators on Fox News were divided in their reaction.
Ned Ryun, a conservative activist and guest on “The Ingraham Angle,” said Mr. Gaetz was someone who would “fight for Trump” inside the Justice Department. Republicans have accused the department, under President Biden, of unfairly targeting Mr. Trump with investigations.
“It was a very clear signal from Donald Trump with Gaetz’s nomination, ‘You will never weaponize the D.O.J. against me again,’” Mr. Ryun said.
Byron York, the chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner, said Wednesday on Fox News that Mr. Gaetz was a “terrible pick.” Mr. York said his efforts to oust Speaker McCarthy were disqualifying.
“The thing we really know for a fact is that Matt Gaetz played a hugely aggressive role in nearly destroying the House,” Mr. York said Wednesday on “Special Report.”
FROM THE RIGHT
National Review
National Review, a conservative outlet, slammed the choice of Mr. Gaetz, describing his nomination as “terrible,” “foolish” and “futile” in articles and essays.
Jeffrey Blehar, a staff writer, wrote that Mr. Gaetz was “odious” and would be “almost impossible to confirm.” Though Mr. Gaetz had barely practiced law, Mr. Blehar said, the more consequential piece of his background was the investigation into his involvement in alleged sex-trafficking.
“Gaetz is so utterly unworthy of being attorney general, so transparently farcical as a serious pick, that his selection at all is indefensible,” Mr. Blehar wrote.
FROM THE RIGHT
The Transom
Ben Domenech, a conservative commentator who writes the newsletter The Transom, called Mr. Gaetz “vile” and “abhorrent” and wrote that if he were confirmed, it would show the Republican Party to be “truly a cult of personality” centered on Mr. Trump.
“If you vote for him to be the attorney general of the United States, you don’t just need your head examined, you need to be committed to a mental institution,” Mr. Domenech wrote on Thursday.
FROM THE LEFT
The New Republic
The New Republic, a liberal outlet, ran more than a half-dozen articles that focused on Mr. Gaetz’s nomination.
One article, by Hafiz Rashid, referred to Mr. Gaetz as the “Worst Person You Know” in the headline. Mr. Rashid wrote that the choice was risky because of “Gaetz’s lack of prosecutorial experience,” as well as his “questionable reputation.”
Greg Sargent, a New Republic staff writer, said the selection of Mr. Gaetz signaled that “MAGA chaos is going to rain.”
“This is somebody who is going to try to carry out Trump’s vendetta against his enemies,” Mr. Sargent said on “The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent.”
FROM THE LEFT
‘Democracy Now’
“Democracy Now,” a left-wing news show, strongly criticized the choice of Mr. Gaetz.
Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said on the Thursday program that Mr. Gaetz had “no appreciable law enforcement experience” and that he “downplayed the Jan. 6 attacks.”
“He really, really is the kind of person you would appoint if what you’re trying to do is to take an ax to the nonpartisan functioning of the Justice Department,” said Zack Beauchamp, a senior correspondent at Vox.
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