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WASHINGTON: Donald Trump announced firebrand lawmaker Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general Wednesday (Nov 13), naming a fierce defender who would be well-placed to make good on the president-elect's threats of revenge against political foes.

"Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System," Trump posted on social media. "Matt will end Weaponized Government ... and restore Americans' badly shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."

Gaetz, a Floridian and a US congressman since 2017, is among Trump's most controversial nominations as he looks to fill out his Cabinet after victory against Democrat Kamala Harris in last week's presidential election.

The 42-year-old has never worked in the Justice Department or as a prosecutor at any level of government.

As attorney general, Gaetz would drive all aspects of the work of the Justice Department, which for years has carried out an investigation into sex trafficking and obstruction of justice allegations involving him.

Gaetz, who denies all wrongdoing, was told last year that there would be no charges against him, but he remains the subject of a House ethics investigation.

Police began looking at Gaetz as they were investigating his friend, former tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was sentenced in 2022 to a prison term of 11 years after admitting to sex trafficking a minor and other charges.

In September, Gaetz said in a statement he would no longer help congressional investigators, accusing them of leading a "political payback exercise" and calling the probe "uncomfortably nosy".

Democrats fear that Gaetz will help Trump weaponise the department to launch "show trial" prosecutions.

"I DON'T THINK IT'S A SERIOUS NOMINATION"

The nomination as attorney general was met with immediate scepticism by some Republicans.

CNN, citing unnamed sources reported that House Republicans were meeting behind closed doors when news of Gaetz's nomination emerged - prompting "an audible gasp from the members in the room".

Republican Iowa Senator Joni Ernst said Gaetz would have "his work cut out for him", according to Scripps News.

"I don't think it's a serious nomination for the attorney general," Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters at the Capitol, according to multiple news outlets. "This one was not on my bingo card."

Another senator from the party's political middle, Susan Collins, told reporters she was "shocked" by the announcement.

"That shows why the advice and consent process is so important, and I'm sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing."

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday "effective immediately", House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters.

“It caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said of the resignation, adding that Gaetz stepped down to quickly start the process of naming a replacement.

Republican and Democratic senators immediately voiced doubts that Gaetz's nomination would survive the confirmation process, which can involve intense questioning during difficult, fraught hearings.

Gaetz will likely only be able to lose three Republicans and still get the green light from the Senate.

Trump, who faced two federal criminal indictments following the end of his four-year term in 2021, has for years railed against the Justice Department and vowed to radically reshape it when he returns to power on Jan 20.

Gaetz on Wednesday mused publicly about abolishing the FBI, a Justice Department unit.

Trump's inner circle has described the attorney general, the country's top law enforcement official, as the most important member of the administration after the president, key to his plans to carry out mass deportations, pardon Jan 6 rioters and seek retribution against those who prosecuted him over the past four years.

FEAR OF FURTHER POLITICISATION

Former Justice Department officials said they worried that Gaetz would seek to politicise the operations of the agency, which has had a decades-old tradition of independence from the White House.

"I worry that anyone who comes in as attorney general with the goal of politicising the work of the department not only risks undermining the rule of law, but also the important safeguards that have existed to protect the legitimacy of the department’s work," said Johnathan Smith, a former deputy assistant attorney general who left the Justice Department earlier this year.

Bradley Moss, an attorney specialising in national security, said that in past administrations, someone with Gaetz's history would have raised concerns about his ability to pass security clearance reviews.

"I would be shocked to see someone with his background get cleared in an ordinary circumstance," Moss said.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the pick.

Gaetz worked at a Florida law firm before being elected to the House in 2016, the year Trump was first elected.

In a social media message posted hours before Trump announced his nomination, Gaetz said, "We ought to have a full court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people. And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three-letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!"

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, are units of the Justice Department.

Gaetz's nomination could signal the Trump administration will continue an aggressive approach toward antitrust enforcement, particularly when it comes to Big Tech, which began under Trump and was popularised by Biden’s antitrust enforcers, including Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan.

Gaetz filed a legal brief in support of the FTC’s ban on businesses forcing workers into non-compete agreements, a rule the US Chamber of Commerce business lobbying group has sued to block.

He also praised the Justice Department's work under Biden in pursuing anti-monopoly cases against Google, and warned the company in August that it must abide by any remedy imposed in the case where a judge found it held an illegal monopoly in online search.