Trump names Rep. Matt Gaetz as pick for attorney general

Update, 4:40 p.m.: President-elect Donald Trump continued to name advisers and picks for his Cabinet on Wednesday afternoon. Those picks included individuals to fill the roles of attorney general, secretary of state and director of national intelligence.

• President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., for the post of attorney general. The U.S. Department of Justice previously investigated Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking and obstruction of justice but decided not to charge him. Gaetz denied all wrongdoing. The House Ethics Committee has also been investigating his actions.
• The president-elect also nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for the mantle of secretary of state. Rubio would be a strong advocate for the American people and would not back down before U.S. adversaries, Trump said.
• Did Trump nominate anyone else? Trump chose former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to be the new director of national intelligence. Formerly a Democrat, Gabbard became an independent before ultimately switching her allegiance to the GOP earlier this year.

Original story:

President-elect Donald Trump in a flurry of activity Tuesday afternoon named several advisers, ambassadors, and his picks for his Cabinet when he assumes office in January. He had earlier named other picks, including his national security adviser and head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Senate will consider whether to approve his Cabinet choices before they formally begin their roles in his administration. 

Here are Trump’s latest nominations:

• Trump on Tuesday named Pete Hegseth as his pick to oversee the U.S. Department of Defense. Hegseth served as an infantry captain with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay. He currently works as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on the Fox News Channel and regularly guest hosts on other channel programs. Hegseth has a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. He is also an outspoken Christian and previously served as the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America.

• The president-elect also said he had tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency. The temporary agency will partner with the White House to scale back regulations, cut government spending, and restructure federal agencies, Trump said. Musk and Ramaswamy will provide guidance from outside the government through July 4, 2026, the president-elect said.

• Trump on Tuesday nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the new U.S. ambassador to Israel. Trump characterized Huckabee as a great public servant, governor, and faith leader who loves Israel. He predicted that Huckabee would work tirelessly to bring about Middle East peace. Like Hegseth, Huckabee has been outspoken about his Christian beliefs.

• He went on, Tuesday afternoon, to appoint Steven C. Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East. Witkoff is the founder, chairman, and co-chief executive officer of The Witkoff Group, a New York-based real estate investment firm. Trump called Witkoff a highly respected leader in business and philanthropy. He said Witkoff would be an unrelenting voice for peace.

• The president-elect also named John Ratcliffe, who previously served as Trump’s director of national intelligence, to the role of CIA director. Trump praised Ratcliffe for, in Trump’s words, exposing an FBI investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign to be a Hillary Clinton campaign operation. He further characterized Ratcliffe as a warrior for truth and honesty with the American public.

Dig deeper: Read Josh Schumacher’s report in The Sift about some of Trump’s other picks to lead his administration.