Trump's middle finger: Gaetz for attorney general
President-elect Trump, baffling even his Republican backers, walked out of today's transition-to-power meeting with President Biden and announced he'll nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as attorney general.
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- This came minutes after Trump named former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to head the U.S. intelligence community — and 12 hours after he nominated "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host Pete Hegseth to run the Pentagon.
Why it matters: Trump is taunting his critics with three highly controversial picks for three of the most important jobs in the land.
Zoom in: Gaetz, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct, is a MAGA provocateur and Trump loyalist despised by many of his colleagues.
- If he's confirmed, will head the Justice Department, which last year decided not bring to charges against him over sex trafficking allegations,
- Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, secretly met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and blamed the U.S. and NATOfor Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Hegseth [Fox News host, Sec Defense], a decorated Army veteran, lobbied Trump to pardon U.S. service members accused of war crimes and has argued women should not serve in combat roles.
