There has been no nomination made by President-elect Donald Trump that has garnered more controversy than his choice of former Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz to lead the U.S. Department of Justice.
Democrats have suggested that Gaetz was chosen because he is more likely to embrace Trump’s promises of retribution against those who prosecuted him, a commitment his former Attorney General William Barr would not make after the 2020 election.
If Gaetz does get the nomination, it would represent a remarkable turnaround for the controversial congressman matching Trump’s rollercoaster political comeback.
Gaetz, a Republican, represented Florida’s 1st District from 2017 until this week, when he resigned in lieu of Trump’s intention to nominate him as Attorney General. In 2023, the fierce ally of Trump successfully pushed to oust former Congressman Kevin McCarthy from his post as speaker of the U.S. House.
Gaetz was the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation that concluded in 2023 when President Joe Biden’s Justice Department declined to bring charges against him. Gaetz was also under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct until he resigned from the House on Wednesday.
Certain Senate Republicans have already expressed a less-than-enthusiastic opinion of Gaetz.
Although he wouldn’t go as far as supporting him, U.S. Sen. Barrasso said on Fox News on Thursday that Gaetz will get a fair confirmation hearing and was not surprised the president-elect made a “bold decision” in his nomination for this role.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis provided Cowboy State Daily a similar sentiment.
“It is clear the Department of Justice needs reform to restore Americans’ confidence in the DOJ,” said Lummis. “The American people overwhelmingly made their voices heard that they support President Trump and his agenda. The Senate stands ready to help fulfill that mission by its role of advice and consent before confirming nominees. I look forward to meeting with President Trump’s nominees ahead of their hearings.”
Despite his flaws, Barrasso believes Gaetz, as well as every one of Trump’s other nominations, are still preferable to Biden’s current cabinet.
Gaetz came to Wyoming in January 2021, where he spoke at a rally held at the State Capitol against former Congresswoman Liz Cheney after she spoke out against Trump.
Burgum Nomination
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was announced by Trump on Thursday night as the next Secretary of the Interior.
Burgum has long-standing connections to the fossil fuels industry and is a fervent energy supporter. Trump has issued firm support for fossil fuels during his campaign and his last presidency, frequently offering statements like “drill, baby, drill” and referring to oil as “liquid gold.”
The Interior Department manages about 500 million acres of coastal waters and public lands, of which 30 million are in Wyoming.
Decisions made by the Department of the Interior often have outsized impacts on Wyoming, where around 48% of the state's surface area and 65% of the state's minerals are owned by the federal government.
The Biden administration has tried to limit drilling on some public lands due to concerns of climate change, an approach that has generally been viewed unfavorably in Wyoming because of its detrimental effect on the fossil fuels industry. Trump has promised to end environmental protections and relax regulations against pollution and harming wildlife.
Public lands advocates are less than enthusiastic about Burgum’s nomination.
“Running the Interior department requires someone who can find balance between recreation, conservation, hunting, ranching, mining, and—yes—oil drilling,” the Center for Western Priorities said in a Friday statement. “If Doug Burgum tries to turn America’s public lands into an even bigger cash cow for the oil and gas industry, or tries to shrink America’s parks and national monuments, he’ll quickly discover he’s on the wrong side of history.”
Wyoming Connection
Barrasso endorsed Burgum late Thursday.
“Governor Burgum knows what it takes to unleash American energy. He recognizes how important our federal lands are for energy and mineral production, grazing, and recreation,” Barrasso said in a press release. “As North Dakota’s governor, he’s shown he can balance environmental stewardship with record energy development. President Trump and Governor Burgum will make America energy dominant.”
Burgum and Gov. Mark Gordon have also been allies on a number of topics, including carbon capture and sequestration.
“Doug has a deep understanding of the importance of energy development while maintaining valuable wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities,” Gordon said in a Friday press release. “He and I have worked together on these issues for the past six years. We see eye-to-eye on the importance of a domestically focused, all-of-the-above energy policy for public lands and minerals.”
Burgum is a major supporter of a project that would develop a 2,000-mile network of several pipelines that would collect carbon emissions from 57 ethanol plants scattered across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota and store them in an underground facility in a deep rock formation in central North Dakota.
Although some environmentalists and landowners oppose the project, Burgum said he views the pipeline as a way to help make North Dakota carbon neutral.
Gordon received significant backlash in Wyoming for espousing a similar goal while speaking at Harvard University last fall.
It’s possible Burgum has received a more favorable response to these efforts in his state because he has focused on communicating how the oil and gas industry can profit off leveraging environmental goals.
Burgum grew up in a small town in North Dakota and Gordon believes his love for the West and knowledge of issues affecting the region will be a benefit for Wyoming.
“I am confident that under his leadership, future decisions regarding land management and wildlife issues in Wyoming will not utilize a top-down, D.C.-driven approach, but rather be made cooperatively, with local interests at the forefront. I look forward to working with him,” Gordon said.
Burgum briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination before ending his bid in late 2023 and becoming a loyal Trump supporter.
Lummis, who according to The New York Times last week was being considered for Secretary of the Interior, congratulated Burgum on X (formerly Twitter) for the nomination on Friday.
Lummis said with Burgum leading the Interior Department, people living in the West can expect a resurgence of multiple uses on federal lands, a removal of Green New Deal policies, and unfettered American energy dominance.
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman hasn’t issued a statement or endorsement on any of Trump’s nominations. The Wyoming Congresswoman did not respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment about Burgum or Gaetz.
The Bigger Picture
Republicans will have a six-vote majority in the Senate and have also clinched a majority in the U.S. House and the presidency.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, encouraged Senate Republicans on Thursday to listen to the American people and continue engaging bipartisanship by avoiding the temptation to move to the “extreme.”
Barrasso dismissed this request on Fox and said the American people have overwhelmingly signaled for a new direction, which Republicans are unified on delivering.
“The will of the people is fairly well known to people all across the country who looked at the results on election night,” Barrasso said. “We want to get the country back on track.”
Barrasso also said Trump is making his appointments much more rapidly and thoughtfully than when he won in 2016 because he’s had about four years to deliberate on the issue.
Even though Trump doesn’t take office until Jan. 20, Barrasso said he wants the nominations process to begin before Biden leaves office so that the nominees can be voted on and sworn in as soon as Trump is in the Oval Office.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
