On Wednesday, President-Elect Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, as US Attorney General to head up the US Department of Justice. 

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” said Trump in a post on Truth Social. “Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending 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. On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law…”

The confirmation process for presidential cabinet appointments runs through the Senate, but Gaetz is drawing attention from the House where he served. North Carolina Congressman Greg Murphy, R-D3, said X post that we need “people who can govern NOT disrupters.” However, Murphy’s office emphasized that this was not an opposition to Rep. Gaetz.

“I absolutely support President Trump’s play calling. He knows what he needs to carry out his America First agenda,” Rep. Murphy told the Carolina Journal. “Democrats, including Merrick Garland, weaponized the justice system for political gain and destroyed its integrity. We need an Attorney General who will restore trust in the DOJ and aggressively uphold the rule of law. If Matt Gaetz cannot be confirmed, I think Dan Bishop would be an excellent choice.”

Trump’s nomination of Gaetz may also experience some pushback in the Senate.

“He’s going to have to overcome some of his temperament as it relates to his Republican colleagues, that’s the way I’d see it now,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, told Roll Call. Tillis sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and would oversee vetting of the nomination.

Tillis’s office did not respond to the Carolina Journal’s request for comment.

“The American people want an economy that works, a secure border, and a safer world. President Trump has been given a clear mandate, and Senator Budd stands ready to get to work with his Senate colleagues to carry out the confirmation process to get the President’s cabinet in place as soon as possible,” a spokesman for Sen. Ted Budd told the Carolina Journal when reached for comment. 

While a majority vote in the Senate is required to confirm the nominee, Trump could bypass the Senate vote through a recess appointment.

Following the news of his nomination by Trump, Gaetz resigned his seat in the House of Representatives effectively immediately. On Friday, a report from the House Ethics Committee regarding sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and bribery allegations against Gaetz was expected to vote to release the report. Following Gaetz’s nomination, it is unclear whether or not the vote will move forward, according to a CBS report.

“I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress, to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration,” said Gaetz in his resignation letter, according to a CBS.

The Committee began the investigation into Gaetz back in June.

“Representative Gaetz has categorically denied all of the allegations before the Committee,” reads a statement released by the Committee in June. “Notwithstanding the difficulty in obtaining relevant information from Representative Gaetz and others, the Committee has spoken with more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents in this matter. Based on its review to date, the Committee has determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review. During the course of its investigation, the Committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review.”

The House Ethics Committee was expected to vote on Friday to release the report.

“In light of Donald Trump’s selection of former Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General, I am calling on the House Ethics Committee to preserve and share their report and all relevant documentation on Mr. Gaetz with the Senate Judiciary Committee,” said Sen. Dick Durban, D-Ill, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in a statement. “The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report. We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people. Make no mistake: this information could be relevant to the question of Mr. Gaetz’s confirmation as the next Attorney General of the United States and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the investigation has been effectively ended, and the Committee no longer has jurisdiction over a former member, according to a report from Roll Call. However, Durbin is calling for the House Committee to share the report’s findings with Senate Judiciary members, while ethics experts and others are calling for a “public airing” of the report. 

Murphy has not been the only one to pitch Rep. Dan Bishop, R-D8, should Gaetz not be confirmed. Prior to Gaetz’s appointment, Bishop was pitched as a contender in an op-ed on Glen Beck’s The Blaze. Beck is a conservative radio personality and one of the prominent leaders of the former “Tea Party” movement.

Bishop has been described as one of the “most effective conservative litigators” in the US House of Representatives and is known for his “sharp cross-examinations of Biden administration officials.”

Bishop recently ran for Attorney General in North Carolina to replace Gov-elect Josh Stein. Bishop lost to his opponent, Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-D14, with Jackson earning 51.3% of the vote, over Bishop’s 49%.

“With Bishop at the helm, the Justice Department would swiftly move back toward accountability and integrity,” wrote Don Brown in an op-ed for the Blaze. “He would be the anti-Garland: a professional lawyer with an outstanding track record devoted to integrity, blind justice, and the immediate de-weaponization of the government. Political prosecutors would be rooted out, and the Democrats’ manipulation of the Department of Justice would end on day one.”

Alternate nominees may become relevant if Gaetz fails to earn confirmation for appointment.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated.