Rep. Matt Gaetz has been a vocal critic of the Justice Department and was not on the 'bingo card' of one GOP senator. 'I'm shocked' said another.

In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump looks to install a fierce loyalist who has been seen as divisive even within his own party.

Donald Trump has nominated Rep.. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as attorney general, a surprise pick that will please the president-elect’s MAGA allies but may prove to be a flashpoint in the confirmation process.

Get the latest news on the transition to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump and a new Congress.

Representative Matt Gaetz has been appointed as Donald Trump’s attorney general, as the president-elect bypassed more experienced options in favour of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a disruptor.

Trump has been nominating loyalists to serve in his Cabinet, and nowhere is that more obvious than in his pick for attorney general: Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Fla., has resigned from Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Wednesday, the same day President-elect Donald Trump tapped the Florida lawmaker to serve as his attorney general. Johnson said Gaetz's resignation is "effective immediately.

Republican senators reacted with shock and incredulity to the news that Donald Trump wants Matt Gaetz to be attorney general.