President-elect Donald Trump has wasted no time in getting his administration off the ground, rapidly rolling out picks for several top jobs and making some controversial choices.
On Wednesday, Trump sent shockwaves through the country when he announced his nomination of Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence. Both would need to be confirmed by the Senate, where Republicans will hold the majority, in order to take the positions.
The New York Times called Gaetz "one of the most reviled members" of the GOP. He abruptly resigned from the House just hours after being nominated, effectively ending the ethics investigation he had been under since 2023.
After the Justice Department declined to bring any charges against Gaetz following a two year investigation of an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, the House Ethics Committee opened their own investigation regarding accusations of sex trafficking and illicit drug use, along with claims that Gaetz misused campaign funds, among other things. With his departure from Congress, it's not clear if the committee will ever release its findings. Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Gaetz, one of Trump's most aggressive and relentless defenders, has also caused turmoil within the party, leading to his successful motion to remove Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House last year. As the attorney general, Gaetz would represent the country in legal matters and advise the president and other department heads on legal matters. He would also oversee the FBI and ATF. While the position typically goes to senior politicians well versed in law, the 42-year-old Gaetz has a law degree and worked for a private firm but has never served as an attorney or judge.
In a social media post, Trump said he would unleash Gaetz to "root out the systemic corruption" at the Department of Justice and end 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 said. "He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law."
Gaetz's selection jarred Washington, with many lawmakers signaling that they may vote against him when the time comes and questioning whether he could even secure enough votes to be confirmed. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said Gaetz was "not a serious candidate."
"It's [Trump's] right to name those who he wants to have serve in his cabinet — we get that. But it is also our role to determine whether these individuals have what it takes in these departments, and it is up to us to confirm them. That's why I think it is really important that we don't roll over on that role of advice and consent and we move through the nomination process," Murkowski told The New York Times. "If we get good candidates, we will be able to move through the nominations process, hopefully, really readily and that'll be good for the president, good for him to get his team. But when you put forward picks that are really going to generate controversy, and not just controversy on one side of the aisle, it is going to take longer."
Meantime, Gabbard is an Army Reserve officer, veteran and four-term congresswoman representing Hawaii who left the Democratic Party in 2022 to become an independent before joining the Republican Party this October. A longtime critic of U.S. foreign policy, she has also been accused of being a Russian asset and spreading pro-Russian narratives.
Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Gabbard was criticized for repeating a conspiracy theory pushed by the Kremlin that the U.S. was funding biological and chemical weapons labs in Ukraine that could spread dangerous pathogens. She also came under fire years earlier for her perceived support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally she quietly visited in 2017 and refused to condemn as a war criminal.
Former national security adviser John Bolton thinks Gabbard, who has never worked in the intelligence world, shouldn't have a confirmation hearing until she's been investigated by the FBI.
"Given the Russian propaganda that she has espoused over the past period of time, I think she's a serious threat to our national security," he said during an interview on NewsNation. "With [Trump's] announcement of Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence, he's sending a signal that we have lost our mind when it comes to collecting intelligence."
As director of national intelligence, Gabbard would serves as the head of the Intelligence Community, a coalition of 18 agencies and organizations including the CIA and FBI. She would also oversee and direct the implementation of the National Intelligence Program and serve as the principal advisor to the president, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council on intelligence matters. It's a position the president-elect thinks she's made for.
"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. "Tulsi will make us all proud!"