Matt Gaetz is neither morally nor professionally qualified to become the United States Attorney General. This is the highest law enforcement position in the country. America deserves much better.

Professionally, Matt Gaetz graduated from law school in 2007, and briefly worked for a law firm in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida before being elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010. He served in that role until 2016, and was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017. Gaetz has three years or less experience in the practice of law, hardly enough to serve as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. 

Morally, Gaetz has been under a cloud of sex and drug allegations. On Wednesday, as soon as he was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump, Gaetz immediately resigned from Congress, thus ending the Ethics probe into his sex parties that includes allegations of paying an underage girl for sex. Gaetz will face tough questions during any confirmation hearing and will likely not be confirmed. His immediate resignation raises serious questions as it occurred just two days before the U.S. House Ethics Committee was scheduled to vote to release what is expected to be a damaging report.

Numerous news articles have catalogued the serious allegations involving Gaetz, including using Venmo to pay women for sex, text messages, attending sex parties, and paying a minor for sex. Witnesses have testified that they have seen Gaetz at these sex parties taking drugs. And his close association with former Seminole Country Tax Collector, Joel Greenburg, adds to these serious allegations. Greenburg is now serving time in prison for using his position for illegal gain and arranging sex parties for his friends, including Gaetz.

During a speech Gaetz delivered to a group of conservative leaders, mostly Christian, on three occasions he dropped “jokes” laced with sexual innuendo. The jokes were shocking to those in attendance and were met with silence. He later admitted his sexual jokes fell flat. This is not the character of the nation’s highest law enforcement officer who is entrusted to uphold the rule of law and prosecute sex traffickers and sex crimes.

When Gaetz served in the Florida House he was a regular opponent of pro-family leaders and policies.  He formed an alliance with LGBTQ activists and spearheaded the removal of Florida’s law prohibiting same sex adoptions, which left faith-based adoption agencies exposed to legal challenges.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver stated, “President-elect Donald Trump has quickly named many good choices to serve in his cabinet. But Matt Gaetz is not one of them. The nomination of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is shocking and disappointing to those who have followed this man and the lurid scandals and serious allegations of sex parties and drugs during his tenure in the U.S. Congress. The resignation of Gaetz immediately after his name surfaced for Attorney General is inexplicable except for the fact this resignation now ends the U.S. House Ethics probe. Obviously, Gaetz does not want America to know the result of the Ethics investigation. Matt Gaetz has neither the experience nor the moral character to serve as the highest law enforcement officer of the United States of America. Gaetz should do President Trump and all of America a favor and withdraw his name from consideration. This will save him considerable embarrassment. America deserves better.”