FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL TO CAMEO STAR: WHAT HAPPENED TO MATT GAETZ?

Photo via Reuters

JAMES LONG: In an announcement that shocked Republican lawmakers, President-elect Donald Trump nominated controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as attorney general in his new administration on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Less than ten days later, Gaetz withdrew his nomination, resigned from Congress and created an account on the personalized video platform, Cameo.

Since his election to a second term on Nov. 5, Trump has named dozens of senior staff and cabinet officials, mostly longtime political allies. Gaetz, a staunch Trump loyalist, has frequently attacked the Justice Department for its investigation of January 6, which he maintains “wasn’t an insurrection.” 

During his congressional tenure, Gaetz gained national attention for his lead role in the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October 2023. In addition to these controversies, Gaetz has spent the last three years embroiled in scandal brought on by a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use and the acceptance of bribes. The Department of Justice was also investigating Gaetz for potential sex trafficking offenses but declined to bring any charges against him.

Many were thus understandably surprised when, in a post to Truth Social on Nov. 13, Trump called Gaetz “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” and forecasted that he would “restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence [sic] in the Justice Department.” Before long, several Senate Republicans expressed their hesitation to support Gaetz, jeopardizing his impending confirmation process in January. 

Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), members of the party’s more moderate wing, told reporters they were surprised by the nomination and concerned by Gaetz’s past. “I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing, if in fact the nomination goes forward,” said Collins in a moment of apparent foreshadowing.

As the skepticism regarding the viability of Gaetz’s nomination grew, even President-elect Trump privately told his allies that getting his nomination through the Senate would be very difficult. When asked by reporters if he was reconsidering the decision to nominate Gaetz, Trump replied with a curt “no.”

All uncertainty was put to rest on Thursday, Nov. 21, however, when Gaetz posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was withdrawing from consideration for Trump’s Attorney General, citing his not wanting to be a “distraction” to the new administration’s work. This reportedly came in the wake of a phone call with Trump in which he was told that he would not have enough votes in the Senate to be confirmed. 

This decision left Gaetz jobless, as he had officially resigned from his seat in Congress on the same day as he was nominated, a move that allowed him to avoid the release of the House Ethics Committee report. Even though he was re-elected to Congress for the term beginning on Jan. 3, Gaetz confirmed that he would not return to the House of Representatives during a conversation with conservative pundit Charlie Kirk.

Since exiting the AG sweepstakes, Gaetz has created an account on the website Cameo, a service that allows users to request personalized videos from their favorite celebrities. Gaetz has already recorded multiple of these clips in which he wishes happy birthdays, congratulates newlywed couples and offers words of encouragement for MAGA supporters. He is currently selling his services for $500.00, and his account bio reads: “I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker.”

Meanwhile, Trump has already selected Gaetz’s replacement, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Bondi is another Trump loyalist who has echoed false claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election and was a prominent member of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank that Trump has worked with closely in the past. The short turnaround on Bondi’s nomination is more evidence that Trump was likely doubtful of Gaetz’s viability for some time before he formally withdrew. 

It goes without saying that failed cabinet nominations are a bad sign for any incoming presidential administration, but Gaetz’s decision to withdraw before the potentially ugly confirmation battle will almost certainly prove to be the right decision. If the House Ethics Committee report were to find its way in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, the results could have made for a disastrous start to Trump’s second term in office. Instead, the frequently controversial President-elect opted for the less controversial choice of Attorney General, leaving former Rep. Gaetz stuck sending out holiday greetings for the time being.

James Long (he/him) is a staff writer for On the Record from Knoxville, Tennessee. A freshman in the School of Foreign Service, he plans to major in International Politics and pursue a career in the law or government.