Trump's pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general a shock even to Republicans

'I'm sure it will make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,' said one Republican senator

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday, bypassing more experienced options in favor of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a disruptor and whom Trump has tasked with dramatically overhauling the Justice Department.

Trump also announced that he had tapped Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state. And he selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as his director of national intelligence.

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The choices continued a pattern of Trump stocking his Cabinet with loyalists he believes he can trust to execute his agenda rather than longtime officials with experience in their fields. Gaetz’s selection, in particular, was seen as a shock. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more established attorneys who had been mentioned as contenders 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. “That was about as big a surprise as I’ve had in a long time.”

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