马特·盖茨被特朗普提名为司法部长
【中美创新时报2024 年 11 月 14 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）当选总统唐纳德·特朗普周三提名佛罗里达州共和党众议员马特·盖茨（Matt Gaetz）为他的司法部长候选人，这是一个挑衅性的举动，旨在让一个顺从的盟友掌管司法部，因为他正在寻求对那些起诉他的人进行报复。《纽约时报》记者Glenn Thrush 和 Devlin Barrett 对此作了下述报道。
特朗普的这一选择反映了他决心选择一位坚定的捍卫者作为国家最高执法官员，他不会抵制他的指示或质疑他的主张，就像他上一位确认的司法部长比尔·巴尔在 2020 年大选后所做的那样。
如果盖茨得到参议院的批准——鉴于两党对他的普遍敌意，这并非板上钉钉的事——他将升任一个强大的内阁职位，这将是一个非凡的转折，与特朗普自己跌宕起伏的政治回归如出一辙。
42 岁的盖茨是为期三年的联邦性交易调查的焦点，该调查于 2023 年结束，当时总统乔·拜登领导下的司法部拒绝提出指控。他一直是众议院道德委员会对其行为调查的对象，直到周三晚些时候他辞职，调查才真正结束。
特朗普忽略了最近几天出现的几位更传统的候选人，包括犹他州参议员迈克·李，他是一名保守派，他的提名在众议院会得到更好的接受。
特朗普选择激进分子盖茨让国会山的许多盟友措手不及。参议院共和党人将对这一消息进行投票，他们立即对此表示了毫不掩饰的怀疑。缅因州参议员苏珊·柯林斯表示，她对这一选择感到“震惊”，并预测确认过程会很艰难。
特朗普在“真相社交”上宣布了这一消息，称盖茨的部分工作是根除“司法部的系统性腐败，让司法部回归打击犯罪的真正使命”。
他将盖茨描述为“有天赋和坚韧不拔的律师”，盖茨的富有父亲曾担任佛罗里达州参议院议长。这位当选总统还列出了他建议盖茨在担任司法部长期间解决的不满，其中最关键的是针对特朗普的多项调查——“俄罗斯骗局，以及揭露令人震惊的系统性政府腐败和武器化”，他写道。
盖茨当选后，国会最直言不讳的司法部和联邦调查局批评者之一将掌管这两个机构。他是国会山极具争议的人物，曾多次与本党领导人发生冲突——尤其是前议长凯文·麦卡锡，麦卡锡的下台是他一手策划的。
德克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁在被问及盖茨的当选时说：“除了他的公众形象，我对他一无所知。”
科宁表示，他无法评论盖茨或特朗普挑选的国家情报局局长塔尔西·加巴德能否被确认：“我不知道——我们会找到答案的。”
“他已经做好了准备，”爱荷华州共和党参议员乔尼·恩斯特说，其他参议员则回避了记者的问题。
俄亥俄州共和党众议员马克斯·米勒告诉记者，共和党大会的许多成员对盖茨出任司法部长感到震惊，但大多数人对他可能不再是众议院议员的前景感到兴奋。
米勒补充说，没有盖茨，众议院将是一个更能发挥作用的地方。
少数几个给予积极评价的议员之一是特朗普的坚定盟友、南卡罗来纳州参议员林赛·格雷厄姆，他称盖茨“聪明”和“机灵”，但预计确认听证会很艰难。
许多现任和前任司法部官员对这一选择对特朗普计划的暗示感到震惊和愤怒。
曾在共和党和民主党政府任职的司法部官员戴维·劳夫曼用不祥的言辞描述了这一选择。
他说，这是“一个令人震惊的预兆，表明特朗普将试图让司法部屈服于他的政治意愿”。
特朗普长期以来一直表示，司法部是他工作重点中的重要部分，而当选副总统 JD Vance 则称司法部长的职位是政府中第二重要的职位。最近几天，其他与当选总统关系密切的人警告司法部职业官员，他们将因抵制保守的政策议程而被解雇。
特朗普的声明也说明了这一点。
“在美国，没有什么问题比结束司法系统的党派武器化更重要，”他写道。“马特将结束武器化政府，保护我们的边境，瓦解犯罪组织，恢复美国人对司法部的严重破碎的信仰和信心。”
特朗普长期以来一直抱怨说，他过去的司法部长远远没有达到他的期望，他制定了一个雄心勃勃的议程，在第二任期内打击司法部所谓的“深层政府”特工。
特朗普表示，他希望看到他所谓的监督外国情报监视的“腐败”法院发生改变。他还承诺将开始“严厉打击政府泄密者”，并解密有关政府“间谍、审查和腐败”的文件。
据知情人士透露，最近几天，特朗普考虑了一些可能的候选人，但似乎没有确定任何一个人选，其中包括密苏里州司法部长安德鲁·贝利 (Andrew Bailey)。这些知情人士不愿透露姓名，描述了内部讨论的情况。
曾在特朗普第一届政府担任美国证券交易委员会主席的杰伊·克莱顿 (Jay Clayton) 和纽约律师罗伯特·朱弗拉 (Robert Giuffra) 也在考虑之列。
据三位了解讨论情况的人士透露，特朗普的高级法律顾问鲍里斯·埃普斯坦 (Boris Epshteyn) 在盖茨之前曾表示支持其他选择，包括朱弗拉。据第四位知情人士透露，当出现僵局并且盖茨成为选择之一时，埃普斯坦力推这位国会议员。
作为一名议员，毕业于威廉玛丽法学院的盖茨利用他在众议院司法委员会的地位，严厉批评联邦调查局和司法部的领导层，尤其是对涉及特朗普的调查。
盖茨特别批评联邦调查局局长克里斯托弗·雷。在去年的一次对峙听证会上，他问雷是否在“保护”拜登家族。
“绝对不是，”雷怒不可遏。
2020 年，司法部和联邦调查局对盖茨几年前与一名当时 17 岁的女孩的关系展开了调查。据知情人士透露，调查人员试图确定他是否违反联邦性交易法购买性服务。
在调查期间，盖茨的同伙在佛罗里达州奥兰多的联邦大陪审团面前作证，但检察官最终得出结论，没有可行的理由对否认有不当行为的盖茨提出指控。
调查的重点是盖茨 2018 年涉嫌前往巴哈马群岛的旅行。知情人士表示，调查中涉案女孩也参加了那次旅行，但那时她已经 18 岁或以上。据知情人士透露，她是调查中的核心证人，但资深检察官担心她和另一名证人的可信度。
调查一直困扰着他：2021 年，盖茨在司法部总部外被一群起哄者围攻，他们对他大喊“恋童癖”。
和这位当选总统圈子里的许多人一样，盖茨曾经批评过特朗普。
在 2019 年的一次采访中，盖茨坦率地描述了自己在过去十年中向右转的过程，从塔拉哈西寻求共识的共和党州议员变成了保守派新闻媒体的常客。他说，这种转变是出于增加影响力的愿望。
“在这个政体有时注意力和金鱼一样短的世界里，是的，你必须有能力在这场游戏中多次重塑自我，”他说。
五年后，他成为了特朗普扩大的核心圈子的一员。
盖茨与大约 150 名共和党同僚一起投票推翻了特朗普在 2020 年大选中败选的判决。他还参加了检察官所说的“停止窃取”运动的预演，与骄傲男孩成员和其他特朗普支持者一起抗议佛罗里达州激烈的参议院竞选结果。
周三，盖茨陪同当选总统和埃隆·马斯克从佛罗里达飞往华盛顿，在特朗普向众议院共和党人发表讲话后，有人看到他与车队同行——显然没有向他健谈的同事透露他被提名的消息。
题图： 2024 年 7 月 16 日，佛罗里达州共和党众议员马特·盖茨在密尔沃基 Fiserv 论坛举行的共和党全国代表大会第二天抵达。（美联社照片/Evan Vucci，文件）Evan Vucci/美联社
附原英文报道：
Matt Gaetz is Trump’s pick for Attorney General
By Glenn Thrush and Devlin Barrett New York Times,Updated November 14, 2024
FILE – Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., arrives during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)Evan Vucci/Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as his nominee for attorney general, a provocative move to install a compliant ally at the helm of the Justice Department as he seeks retribution against those who prosecuted him.
The pick reflected Trump’s determination to choose as the nation’s top law enforcement official a fierce defender who would not resist his directives or question his claims, as Bill Barr, his last confirmed attorney general, did in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
If Gaetz is confirmed by the Senate — no sure thing given the widespread bipartisan animosity toward him — his ascension to a powerful Cabinet post would represent a remarkable turnabout that mirrors Trump’s own whipsaw political comeback.
Gaetz, 42, was the focus of a three-year federal sex-trafficking investigation that ended in 2023 when the Justice Department under President Joe Biden declined to bring charges. He was the subject of a House Ethics Committee inquiry into his conduct until he resigned from his seat late Wednesday, effectively ending the investigation.
Trump passed over several more conventional candidates who had emerged in recent days, including Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, a conservative whose nomination would have been far better received in the chamber.
The selection of the firebrand Gaetz blindsided many of Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill. The announcement was met with immediate and unvarnished skepticism by Republicans in the Senate who will vote on his nomination. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she was “shocked” by the pick — and predicted a difficult confirmation process.
Trump made his announcement on Truth Social, stating that part of Gaetz’s job would be to root out “systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime.”
He described Gaetz, whose wealthy father is a former president of the Florida Senate, as a “gifted and tenacious attorney.” The president-elect also listed grievances he suggested Gaetz address as attorney general, key among them the multiple investigations into Trump — the “Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization,” he wrote.
The selection of Gaetz would put one of Congress’ most outspoken critics of the Justice Department and the FBI in charge of those agencies. He is a deeply polarizing figure on Capitol Hill who has clashed repeatedly with his own party’s leadership — especially former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster he engineered.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, when asked about Gaetz’s selection, said, “I don’t know the man other than his public persona.”
Cornyn said he could not comment on the chances that Gaetz, or Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, would be confirmed: “I don’t know — we’ll find out.”
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said as other senators dodged questions from reporters.
Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, told reporters that many members of the GOP conference were shocked at the choice of Gaetz for attorney general, but mostly thrilled at the prospect that he might no longer be a member of the chamber.
The House, Miller added, would be a more functional place without Gaetz.
One of the few lawmakers to offer a positive assessment was a staunch Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called Gaetz “smart” and “clever” but predicted tough confirmation hearings.
Many current and former Justice Department officials were stunned and furious about what the pick suggested about Trump’s plans.
David Laufman, a former department official under both Republican and Democratic administrations, described the selection in ominous terms.
It is “a shocking harbinger that Trump will try to subjugate the Justice Department to his political will,” he said.
Trump has long signaled his view of the Justice Department’s importance to his priorities, and Vice President-elect JD Vance has called the attorney general’s job the second-most critical in government. In recent days, others close to the president-elect have warned career officials at the department that they will be fired for resisting their conservative policy agenda.
Trump’s statement illustrated as much.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” he wrote. “Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
Trump has long complained that his past attorneys general fell far short of his expectations, setting an ambitious agenda for battling what he calls “Deep State” operatives at the department in his second term.
Trump has said he wants to see changes to what he calls the “corrupt” courts overseeing foreign intelligence surveillance. He also pledged to begin “a major crackdown on government leakers” and declassify documents on government “spying, censorship and corruption.”
In recent days, Trump had considered a number of possible candidates, but did not seem to settle on any of them, including the attorney general of Missouri, Andrew Bailey, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal deliberations.
Jay Clayton, who served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the first Trump administration, was also in consideration, as was New York lawyer Robert Giuffra.
A top Trump legal adviser, Boris Epshteyn, had voiced support for other options before Gaetz, including Giuffra, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. When there was something of a stalemate and Gaetz became an option, Epshteyn pushed for the congressman, according to a fourth person.
As a lawmaker, Gaetz, a graduate of William & Mary Law School, has used his perch on the House Judiciary Committee to excoriate FBI and Justice Department leadership, particularly over investigations involving Trump.
Gaetz has been particularly critical of FBI Director Christopher Wray. In a confrontational hearing last year, he asked Wray if he was “protecting” the Biden family.
“Absolutely not,” Wray bristled.
In 2020, the Justice Department and the FBI opened an investigation into Gaetz’s involvement several years earlier with a girl who was 17 at the time. Investigators sought to determine if he paid for sex in violation of federal sex-trafficking laws, according to people familiar with the investigation.
During the inquiry, associates of Gaetz testified before a federal grand jury in Orlando, Florida, but prosecutors ultimately concluded there was not a viable case to level charges against Gaetz, who denied wrongdoing.
The investigation focused on a 2018 trip Gaetz allegedly took to the Bahamas. The girl at issue in the investigation was also on that trip, though by that time she was already 18 or older, people familiar with the matter have said. She was a central witness in the investigation, but veteran prosecutors were concerned about her credibility as well as that of another witness, according to people familiar with the decision not to pursue charges.
The investigation has long dogged him: In 2021, Gaetz was hounded outside Justice Department headquarters by hecklers who shouted “pedophile” at him.
Like so many in the president-elect’s circle, Gaetz was once a critic of Trump.
In a 2019 interview, Gaetz candidly described his move to the right over the previous decade, from a consensus-seeking Republican state lawmaker in Tallahassee to a fixture of the conservative news media. The shift, he said, was motivated by a desire to increase his influence.
“In a world where the body politic has the attention span at times of a goldfish, yep, you’ve got to have the ability to reinvent yourself in this game many times,” he said.
Five years later, he is a member of Trump’s extended inner circle.
Gaetz voted with about 150 of his Republican colleagues to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. He also took part in what prosecutors have suggested was a dry run for the “Stop the Steal” efforts that year, protesting the results of a hotly contested Senate race in Florida with members of the Proud Boys and other Trump supporters.
On Wednesday, Gaetz accompanied the president-elect and Elon Musk on a flight from Florida to Washington, and was seen riding with the motorcade after Trump addressed House Republicans — apparently not divulging news of his nomination to his chatty colleagues.
