Both U.S. Senators representing Tennessee have confirmed they will support the nomination by President-elect Donald Trump of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) to serve as the U.S. Attorney General.
Senators Marsh Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) released statements expressing support for Gaetz last week ahead of reports the Florida Republican was calling senators to arrange meetings and seek their support during the nomination process.
Blackburn wrote in a Wednesday post to the social media platform X that Gaetz’s nomination represents Trump “keeping his promise to root out the deep state,” while Hagerty confirmed his support for Gaetz during a Thursday appearance on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports”.
“This nominee has been an outspoken critic” of the Department of Justice (DOJ), said Hagerty. In response to unverified claims by Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) about Gaetz’s personal life, the senator told Mitchell, “These are allegations. It’s amazing that you’re more upset about allegations than you are about the weaponization of the Department of Justice. The American public has completely lost faith in the DOJ.”
Gaetz (pictured here) repeatedly sparred with the DOJ when criticizing the agency’s search for ties between Trump and Russia in 2017, and again in 2023 with Attorney General Merrick Garland over possible coordination between the Biden-Harris administration and local prosecutors pursuing cases against Trump.
After his criticisms of the DOJ, Gaetz became subject to a federal investigation into possible sex trafficking. His attorneys later said the DOJ confirmed it would not press charges against him.
Hagerty told Mitchell, “Think about it: The DOJ sending their agents to spy on parents who go to the school board meetings. It’s just amazing [that] as the American public has seen all of this, they see somebody, like Matt Gaetz, who’s willing to stand up and call it wrong, and President Trump’s willing to put somebody in place that will change all of this. That’s what the American public voted for.”
The senator similarly told the cable network he wants to see the nomination process move “quickly,” adding that Trump deserves to have his cabinet appointed after winning the Electoral College and securing a popular vote mandate.
“We need to allow President Trump, particularly in this circumstance, when the American public has spoken so clearly, we need to allow him to fill his cabinet and get to work, bringing our Department of Justice, and other departments, back in line to stop the weaponization, and take control from the bureaucracy and bring it back to the people,” said Hagerty. He added, “I think President Trump needs every tool at his disposal to get his cabinet appointed as quickly as possible.”
His remarks come amid uncertainty over Gaetz’s odds of being confirmed by the Senate, where a majority of Republicans were reportedly opposed to his nomination last week.
Since then, both Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance have reportedly started calling senators to arrange meetings and request support, with reports indicating Vance is leveraging his experience as the U.S. Senator from Ohio to sway those opposed to confirming Gaetz.
Watch Hagerty’s full appearance on “Andrea Mitchell Reports”:
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Senator Bill Hagerty” by Sen. Bill Hagerty and “Senator Marsha Blackburn” is by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
