WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-Elect Donald Trump On Wednesday, he named Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida as attorney general; He bypassed more experienced options in favor of a loyalist who had a national reputation as a disruptor and whom Trump had tasked with dramatically overhauling the Justice Department.

Trump also announced that he was listening to Sen. Marco Rubio As Florida’s nominee for secretary of state. And he chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate, as director of national intelligence.

The elections continued Trump’s pattern of filling his Cabinet with loyalists he believes he can trust to carry out his agenda, rather than long-time officials with experience in their fields. Gaetz’s election, in particular, had a shocking effect. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more experienced lawyers mentioned as candidates for the job, and even his colleagues in Congress appeared stunned by the news.

“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God,’” said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. “This was as big a surprise as I’ve had in a long time.”

Trump announced his decision in a post on the Truth Social network, saying Gaetz would “root out systemic corruption at the DOJ and return the Department to its true mission of fighting crime and defending our Democracy and Constitution.”

Gaetz represents much of the Florida Panhandle and became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing on cable news as a frequent staunch defender of Trump.

He angered GOP members in early 2023 when he introduced the resolution that successfully impeached former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy later helped finance a primary challenge against Gaetz that included ads claiming he paid for sex with a 17-year-old; this allegation is currently being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. Gaetz denied any wrongdoing, and the Justice Department ended its own sex trafficking investigation without filing charges against him.

GOP lawmakers at a special meeting of House Republicans first thought the news was a joke before realizing that Trump had actually tapped Gaetz to be the nation’s chief legal officer.

GOP Rep. Max Miller told reporters that the shock in the room was more a reflection of members’ happiness that the Florida Republican would no longer be a member of the House after provoking years of cross-party fights.

Even Trump’s allies in the Senate were keeping their distance.

“We’ll see,” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said when asked if he would vote to confirm the congressman.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has suggested the Senate look closely at Gaetz, including through a House Ethics Committee investigation.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,” said GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who serves on the committee to nominate Gaetz, said it would be “the first test of whether Republicans are willing to stand up to Donald Trump and act with conscience and conviction against Trump.” only to politics.”

The announcement came shortly after Trump confirmed that he had chosen Rubio, a conservative lawmaker, as the nation’s top diplomat. Rubio, who once became one of the president-elect’s fiercest defenders and the first Latino in the job, is a well-known hawk on China, Cuba and Iran and a finalist to become Trump’s running mate this summer.

On Capitol Hill, Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for a tougher stance on China and targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers argue that Beijing can demand access to users’ data at any time.

In his statement about Rubio, Trump said, “He will be a strong Defender of our Nation, a true friend of our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down against our enemies.”

Trump made the announcement while returning to Florida from Washington after meeting with President Joe Biden.

The president-elect was expected to choose Rubio for the job, but he also faced pressure from allies of Ric Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s first administration.

Grenell responded to the news on channel X as follows: “Congratulations, Senator. You will be great for America!”

The election is the culmination of a long and complicated history between Trump and Rubio. During the tense contest for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, Rubio was particularly outspoken in his criticism of Trump, calling him a “con artist” and “the rudest person to ever aspire to the presidency.”

He tried to match Trump’s often vulgar attacks by joking about the size of Trump’s hands in reference to his masculinity. Trump responded by branding Rubio “little Marco,” a nickname that stuck with the senator for years.

But like many Republicans trying to stay relevant in the Trump era, Rubio changed his rhetoric. As speculation intensified that Trump might choose him as his running mate, Rubio sought to downplay the tensions in 2016, suggesting that the heated tone merely reflected the intensity of the campaign.

“That’s like asking a boxer why he punched someone in the face in the third round,” Rubio told CNN when asked about his previous comments. “Because they were boxing.”

Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010 as part of the tea party wave of Republicans flooding Washington. He quickly gained a reputation as someone who could represent a more diverse and welcoming Republican Party. He was a key member of a group that worked on a 2013 immigration bill that included a path to citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally.

But that legislation stalled in the House of Representatives, where more conservative Republicans maintain control, signaling a sharp turn to the right that the party and Rubio would soon embrace. Now Rubio says he supports Trump’s plan to deploy the U.S. military to deport people in the country illegally.

“We’re going to have to do something, unfortunately we’re going to have to do something dramatic,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC in May.

Meanwhile, Gabbard will serve as director of national intelligence.

“As a former Democratic Presidential Nominee, he has broad support in both Parties – He is now a proud Republican!” Trump said in his statement: “I know Tulsi will bring to our Intelligence Community the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career, defend our Constitutional Rights, and secure Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”

Both Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., advocated for Gabbard to take a position in the administration after becoming close to them during the campaign.

She helped prepare for Trump’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, announced she would be a Republican at a Trump rally in the final stretch of the race, and drew huge applause from crowds at events.

Gabbard, who has been in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, serving in Iraq and Kuwait, would play something of an outsider role compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 after serving several years in senior national security and intelligence positions.

Gabbard has not worked directly in the intelligence community outside of House committees, including two years on the Homeland Security Committee. Like others Trump has picked to lead the agency, she has been among his most popular political surrogates, often drawing strong reactions from crowds in supporting him in the closing months of the campaign.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump announced that four of his longtime aides would also join his administration.

Longtime aide Dan Scavino, who worked as a caddy at one of Trump’s golf courses and later became his social media guru, will serve as deputy chief of staff. James Blair, the campaign’s political director, will serve as deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. Taylor Budowich, who ran the pro-Trump Super PAC, Maga Inc., before joining the campaign, will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All of them will have the rank of assistant to the president.

Trump also officially announced that Stephen Miller, a hard-liner on immigration and one of Trump’s longest-serving aides, will be his deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser.

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Colvin reported from New York and Miller from Washington. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri, Eric Tucker and Kevin Freking contributed to this report from Washington.

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