Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said President-elect Donald Trump told a “good joke” on Wednesday when he chose Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general.
“To the president, I say, ‘No, seriously, who is your pick for attorney general?’” Swalwell said on CNN’s “OutFront” Wednesday. “Because this pick is a middle finger to Democrats and sane Republicans, and it’s not being panned only by Democrats.”
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Swalwell said Republicans in the House had been “clowning this pick” both publicly and privately.
“Donald Trump not known for having a sense of humor. Credit to you. You’ve landed a good joke on the country,” he said. “But this is a position, considering what it oversees — counterterrorism, money laundering, public corruption, child trafficking — it’s worthy of being taken seriously.”
That may have been a swipe at Gaetz, who was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department for more than two years.
He was alleged to have had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and to have paid her to travel across state lines with him. Gaetz denies the allegations. He was not charged and the case was dropped last year, reportedly due to witness credibility concerns.
The House Ethics Committee was also investigating Gaetz, until the Florida Republican resigned from Congress Wednesday following Trump’s announcement.
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Swalwell said he hoped that a handful of “reasonable people” in the Senate, which will be GOP-controlled in the new year, would prevent Gaetz from being confirmed.
He name-dropped Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and suggested that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) might also consider blocking the confirmation.
“I just don’t see this happening,” he said of Gaetz’s appointment.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) about Gaetz’s nomination, Swalwell said, “Thank you, Donald. We all needed a good laugh this week.”