President-elect Donald Trump nominated former congressman Matt Gaetz on Wednesday to be the 87th US Attorney General. This represents a stunning reversal of fortunes for the embattled Gaetz who until February of this year was under investigation by the very Department of Justice (DOJ) that he has now been chosen to lead. Gaetz tendered his resignation from the US House of Representatives shortly after his nomination.

Announcing his latest cabinet pick on Truth Social, Trump commented:

Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney…who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.

Gaetz has served as the US representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District since 2017 and during his tenure in the House of Representatives has been subject to investigations by the House Ethics Committee and the DOJ for allegations of sex trafficking, drug abuse and obstruction of justice. Investigations into Gaetz stem from 2020 accusations that Gaetz and another Florida official sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl in connection with a 2017 drug-fueled party, and then attempting to cover up their involvement in the illicit activities. Gaetz has dismissed the allegations as “wild conspiracy theories.”

While Gaetz was not ultimately charged by the DOJ, his associate and friend Joel Greenberg pled guilty in 2021 to sex trafficking of a minor, conspiracy to bribe a public official, identity theft, stalking, and wire fraud in a related investigation. Greenberg, who was a Florida tax collector, had agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of his plea and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

In June, the House Ethics Committee announced it would continue its investigation, while in September, Gaetz announced that he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in the investigation.

Gaetz faces an uphill battle for confirmation despite the US Senate shifting to Republican control in the wake of the November elections. According to Axios, Republican Congressman Max Miller said “Gaetz has a better shot of having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate.” Other Republicans in Congress have echoed similar concerns with Maine Senator Susan Collins telling Punchbowl News that she was “shocked” by the nomination.

The US Attorney General heads the Department of Justice and is the principal officer for law enforcement in the country. Other duties include advising the President and other executive department heads on legal matters while also appearing before the US Supreme Court in cases where the State is a party. The office is subject to US Senate confirmation by a simple majority.

Matt Gaetz, 42, who calls himself a “libertarian populist,” has been widely seen as a far-right Republican supporting controversial positions including terminating the Department of Education and stripping immigrant rights groups of federal funding and tax-exempt status.