On November 13, 2024, author Michael Harriot took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Trump for making congressman Matt Gaetz his pick for attorney general in his cabinet. In his tweet, Michael Harriot mentioned:
"At this rate, Trump’s gonna put Diddy in charge of the oil reserves"
Michael's comment not only called out Trump but also indirectly referred to Gaetz being investigated for s*x trafficking by the Department of Justice in December 2020. Additionally, the tweet was also a jibe at the 1000 bottles of baby oil found at Diddy's homes during a raid in March 2024.
According to Reuters, dated November 13, 2024, Donald Trump announced Matt Gaetz to be his nominee for attorney general. In his statement announcing Gaetz's selection, Trump said:
"Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."
However, Gaetz's nomination for the position is subject to confirmation by the majority of the Republican Senate.
According to AP News, dated November 14, 2024, in his announcement declaring Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, Donald Trump said that Gaetz would get rid of systematic corruption at the Justice Department. Trump also said that Gaetz would restore the department to its original mission of upholding the democracy and constitution and fighting crime.
The publication mentioned that hours before Trump's announcement, Matt Gaetz took to X in a now-deleted post expressing that there was a requirement for a "full court press against this WEAPONIZED government". His tweet stated:
“And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”
Additionally, Gaetz also mentioned in a tweet that it would be an honor for him to serve "as President Trump's Attorney General!"
As per NBC News, the FBI seized Matt Gaetz's phone in December 2020 starting an investigation of whether Gaetz allegedly s*x trafficked a 17-year-old girl. Since the time of the investigation, Gaetz's former friend Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to trafficking the teenager in question in exchange for helping the department's investigation. Additionally, Gaetz's ex-girlfriend entered a deal wherein she got immunity from federal prosecution in return for her testimony.
As per The New York Times, dated November 13, 2024, the House Ethics Committee which was investigating the allegations against Gaetz was ready to vote to release a critical report about the U.S. representative-elect on November 15, 2024 as reported by a Republican official who knew about the matter.
However, Matt Gaetz resigned from his House seat on November 13. 2024, resulting in an end to the ethics investigation against him. The publication stated that Gaetz had caused a delay in the investigation's fact-finding process by giving combative responses to questions asked by the committee. Gaetz's resignation resulted in the committee no longer having the jurisdiction to investigate him.
As per AP News, if Matt's nomination as attorney general is confirmed, the congressman would oversee the ATF, formerly known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI.