Gaetz Nominated for US Attorney General, Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence

Facts

• US Pres.-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard and now-former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to assume the respective roles of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Attorney General in his incoming administration.^[1][2]
• Trump described Gaetz as a "deeply gifted" lawyer who would "root out the systemic corruption" at the Dept. of Justice (DOJ). He also said Gabbard would bring a "fearless spirit" to "championing our Constitutional Rights" and "securing Peace through Strength."^[3][4]
• Gabbard represented Hawaii as a Democrat in the House of Representatives from 2013-21, before sitting as an independent in 2022. During the 2024 US election campaign, Gabbard endorsed Trump and announced she was to formally join the Republican Party.^[5]
• Gaetz, who worked in a Florida law firm before being elected in 2016, has sat on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees. He's been investigated by the DOJ over sex trafficking allegations, which he denies, and remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.^[6][7]
• Gaetz resigned from the House following his nomination, ending the Ethics Committee investigation, which is reportedly set to vote Friday on whether to release its report on the former Congressman's potential misconduct.^[8][9]
• Other nominations include Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, John Ratcliffe as CIA Director, and Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff.^[10]

Sources: ^[1]FOX News, ^[2]CNN, ^[3]X (a), ^[4]X (b), ^[5]Verity, ^[6]Congressman Matt Gaetz, ^[7]Reuters, ^[8]New York Post, ^[9]Axios and ^[10]Forbes.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by The New York Times and The Atlantic. Trump's decision to place Gabbard and Gaetz in charge of the DOJ and DNI is a blatant attempt to dismantle America's democratic institutions from the inside. Aside from their shocking lack of experience, given Gaetz's disturbing run-ins with the law and Gabbard's grudge against the intelligence community, these appointments perfectly sum up the entire purpose of the second Trump administration — unapologetic revenge.
• Republican narrative, as provided by The Last Refuge and FOX News. The leftist establishment is having a full-blown meltdown as Trump continues to defy the status quo and nominate individuals who wish to liberate American politics from deep-state special interests. Despite all the outcries of Democrats and the woke media, Trump's proposed appointments are exactly what the majority of Americans voted for. The public is insistent that now is the time to drain the swamp, and MAGA 2.0 will do exactly that.