House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has thrown his full support behind Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, urging Senate colleagues to swiftly confirm the controversial Florida congressman in January. Johnson’s enthusiastic endorsement came during a Sunday morning appearance on Fox News, where he argued that Gaetz’s nomination represents a much-needed overhaul of the Department of Justice.
“The reason that Matt Gaetz is such an exciting pick to so many people is because he will go in and reform the Department of Justice. It desperately needs it,” Johnson said. “Look, he and I sat on the Judiciary Committee together for almost seven years before I became Speaker of the House. We saw the evidence of lawfare. We saw how the Department of Justice had been used for political purposes. They targeted Catholics, parents at school boards, and pro-life Americans. This is not what our system of justice was built to do,” he continued. “Matt Gaetz will go in there and shake it up, and I think most of the American people understand that’s an important function.”
Johnson didn’t stop there. During a separate interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, the Speaker doubled down on his endorsement, highlighting Gaetz as a disruptor who can bring necessary change to the DOJ. “This is what I’ll say about the nominees that the president has put forward: they are disruptors by design,” Johnson stated. “The American people have delivered a mandate demanding that we shake up the status quo. It’s not working for them, and they want change.”
The Speaker defended Trump’s cabinet picks, including Gaetz, as loyalists who would carry out the president-elect’s agenda. “The people on this list will go into the agencies they’re being asked to lead and they will reform them. These agencies need reform, and I think the vast majority of the American people understand that,” Johnson argued. “You can’t have status quo appointments in a moment like this.”
Speaker Mike Johnson throws his full support behind Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, saying he will reform the DOJ after an era of shameful lawfare targeting conservatives.
Good for you, @MikeJohnson.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 17, 2024
CNN tried to get Speaker Mike Johnson to condemn Matt Gaetz, but he REFUSED to do so, & instead doubled down & called on GOP Senators to confirm all of Trump’s picks
“I think the vast majority of the American people understand that. You can’t have status quo appointments in a… pic.twitter.com/IQrzhgbo8P
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 18, 2024
Trump’s bold cabinet choices, which include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary and Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary, have sparked a flurry of backlash from left-wing lawmakers and pundits on networks like CNN and MSNBC. Gaetz’s nomination, in particular, has become a lightning rod for controversy.
While Gaetz has garnered support from key Senate Republicans, he faces resistance from a handful of holdouts. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have publicly expressed skepticism about confirming him. Behind the scenes, anonymous Senate sources have told Fox News that Gaetz has “no shot” at winning enough votes for confirmation.
Despite this opposition, Gaetz’s nomination has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm from Trump’s base, who view the firebrand congressman as the ideal figure to lead a long-overdue shake-up at the Justice Department. For supporters, Gaetz’s combative style and commitment to challenging the establishment make him the perfect choice for a moment when voters are demanding radical change in Washington.
As the confirmation battle looms, it’s clear that Gaetz’s appointment will be a defining test of the new administration’s willingness to break with the past and deliver on its promise to drain the swamp.
Leave a Comment