washington – Donald Trump had few more reliable defenders in Congress Matt Gaetz, He is the one who has blasted prosecutors after prosecutors for perceived bias against the president-elect, powerfully amplifying Republicans’ touting that criminal investigations against him are a “witch hunt.”

That kinship was rewarded on Wednesday Trump chooses Gaetz as attorney general candidateturning to a conservative and loyalist over more established lawyers who are seen as rivals.

Announcing a day earlier that he had chosen Gaetz as attorney general and John Ratcliffe as CIA director, Trump underlined the premium he places on loyalty, noting that both men’s support for him during the Russia investigation was central to their qualifications, and that the leaders would not only govern as protégés of the president but also as protégés of the president. it should also function as a tool of revenge.

The dynamic is important at a time when Trump will take office. Two federal indictments expected to evaporate soon and a Supreme Court opinion Enshrining a president’s exclusive authority over the Justice Department, Trump has threatened retaliation against perceived enemies.

“Matt will root out systemic corruption at the Department of Justice and return the department to its true mission of fighting crime and protecting our Democracy and Constitution. We must have Integrity, Integrity and Transparency at the U.S. Department of Justice,” Trump wrote about Gaetz, the Florida Republican, on social media in media sharing.

Trump’s rhetoric reflects a reversal of the approach of President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly distanced himself from the Justice Department Even when facing a special counsel investigation as his handling of classified information and his son Hunter, He was indicted and convicted on tax and weapons charges.

Democrats were immediately alarmed, and Sen. Sen., the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Dick Durbin said Gaetz “will be disastrous” in part because of Trump’s threat to use the Justice Department “to exact revenge on his political enemies.” The president of Common Cause, a good government group, called the election “shocking” and “a serious threat to the fair and equal application of law in our country.” Even a few Senate Republicans have expressed concerns about Gaetz’s selection.

It’s not entirely surprising that Trump openly values ​​Gaetz’s role in “defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Proliferation.” Trump in his first term Fired FBI director An attorney general who refused to pledge loyalty to himself at a private dinner at the White House he pulled away From the Justice Department’s investigation into potential ties between Russia and the 2016 presidential campaign.

“I think this election shows that President-elect Trump is looking for an attorney general whose views on the appropriate role of the Justice Department are closely aligned with his,” said former federal prosecutor Robert Mintz.

Ratcliffe, who served as Trump’s director of national intelligence last months of first termHe has emerged as a staunch defender of Trump on Capitol Hill. He was a member of Trump’s advisory team during the first impeachment hearings in 2019 and pointedly questioned numerous witnesses related to the Russia investigation. including an FBI agent The person who led the investigation but also exchanged anti-Trump text messages with a colleague.

This work was credited in Trump’s election announcement, where he praised Ratcliffe for “exposing fake Russian collusion” and “being a warrior for Truth and Integrity with the American public.”

Gaetz would be the first attorney general in decades without Justice Department experience and has found himself embroiled in federal litigation in recent years. sex trafficking investigation This ended with no charges.

Gaetz hours before the announcement he said in a social media post. He said there should be “full-court pressure against this ARMED government that has turned against our people.” He added: “And if that means Abolishing each of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to go!” If confirmed as attorney general, he would oversee both the FBI and the ATF.

Billionaire Trump supporter Elon Musk, who highlighted the theme of revenge, weighed in on the Gaetz appointment with the following words: “The Hammer of Justice is coming.”

Gaetz has used the seat in Congress he first won in 2016 to take on the Justice Department, repeatedly denouncing what he and Trump claim is a criminal justice system biased against conservatives. He has criticized law enforcement officials who he sees as openly anti-Trump or ineffective in protecting Trump’s interests.

When Robert Mueller visits Capitol Hill to discuss the issue Findings of the Russia investigationGaetz condemned the prosecutor for leading a team that the congressman said was “deeply biased.” The Trump Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor, John Durham, to examine errors in the Russia investigation, but Gaetz also blasted Durham for failing to uncover enough damaging information about the FBI’s investigation into Trump.

“I think you let down people who trusted you, like the (committee) chair. I think you’ve let the country down. “You are one of the obstacles to the real accountability we need,” Gaetz said.

Last year he angrily attacked FBI Director Christopher Wray, lashing out at him: FBI candidates in Florida “I deserve better than you” and the current attorney general, Merrick Garland. Garland in 2022 Jack Smith appointed as special advisor To investigate Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Both investigations resulted in indictments that were expected to end before Trump took office. It’s possible that Smith will be gone when Gaetz arrives. and a new FBI director is expected to be appointed Given Trump’s ongoing distaste for his own appointee, Wray.