President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Congressman Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general.
Writing in Truth Social magazine, President Trump said the Florida Republican “has distinguished himself in Congress by focusing on achieving much-needed reforms at the Department of Justice.”
Republicans have accused the Justice Department of conservative It frequently claims that it is being used as a weapon against Americans. of indictment and guilty verdict For the felony charge of orchestrating a hush money scheme for the purpose of influencing a federal election. and pursuing charges against former and future presidents. Suspicion of election interference.
“Few issues are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system in America,” President Trump wrote. “Matt will end weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and trust in the Department of Justice. The House Judiciary Committee members oversee the Department of Justice. At the Council, Matt played a key role in busting Russia, Russia, Russia disinformation and exposing alarming systemic government corruption and weaponization. He is a champion of the Constitution and the rule of law. .
“Matt will root out systemic corruption in the Department of Justice and return the department to its original mission of fighting crime and defending our democracy and the Constitution. The Department of Justice lacks integrity, honesty, and transparency. Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will be proud of the Department of Justice again.”
“It’s an honor to serve as President Trump’s attorney general!” Gates, who has been embroiled in sex scandal allegations and a congressional ethics investigation, posted on X.
As attorney general, Gaetz may choose to intervene in cases involving LGBTQ rights that are fought in federal court, particularly those that have been accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Unlike the Biden administration, it is hard to imagine Gaetz siding with LGBTQ people alleging discrimination or challenging anti-LGBTQ laws.
Gates received a zero rating from the LGBTQ rights group Human Rights Campaign on the Congressional Scorecard and has not sponsored any LGBTQ-friendly legislation since entering Congress in 2017.
He also voted against pro-LGBTQ bills and supported anti-LGBTQ amendments to House funding bills.
Gates was one of 157 House Republicans to vote against the Respect for Marriage Act. The law will be signed into law by President Biden in 2022 to protect the right to marriage from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could reverse a 2015 high court ruling that criticized various states. . Ban on same-sex marriage.
Gates has also engaged in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, accusing LGBTQ people of trying to “indoctrinate” children in schools.
In defending a bill he introduced to allow school personnel and students to participate in school prayers without repercussions, Gaetz said: daily caller, “God’s reach extends far beyond the school gates. Our nation’s education policies forbid students, faculty and staff from praying while endlessly promoting decadent LGBT and anti-white propaganda.”
Gates would ban LGBTQ content from classrooms, cancel college-level courses that cover LGBTQ topics, and allow Floridians to challenge the removal of books from school and university libraries. He defended the state’s “Don’t Say I’m Gay” law.
The lawmaker has positioned himself as a champion of “parental rights” and introduced “parental rights” last year.Parents’ Right to Know Act”, a bill that would give parents access to their children’s school medical and counseling records.
At the recent Republican National Convention, Gates couldn’t help but directly criticize the idea that people can be transgender, saying:[u]Under Trump, we were prosperous, we were richer, inflation was low, and there were two genders. ”
On the campaign trail, Gaetz defended Trump’s false claims that schools perform gender reassignment surgeries behind parents’ radar.
When confronted by LGBTQ reporters, Gates sidestepped falsehoods and returned to talking points about “parental rights,” MAGA’s way of pushing for banning LGBTQ content in schools.
Gaetz opposes the Equality Act, opposes comprehensive federal legislation prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination, takes issue with protections for transgender people, and argues that the bill would not require proof of medical transition. , argued that relying on transgender people’s self-identification has the following consequences: The misuse of the law by bad actors for their own purposes.
According to reports washington postGates said he supports the rights of transgender people and does not intend to “denigrate or deny their existence or their struggle,” but the bill, as drafted, would support other groups, especially women. He claimed that he believed it would only cause harm to Loss of gender-segregated spaces and opportunities.
He also said “bad actors” such as sex offenders would take advantage of the law by pretending to be transgender. As an example, he cited the possibility that Trump might declare himself the “first female president,” suggesting that the law’s reliance on self-identification for protections based on gender identity is flawed.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com