Former President Donald Trump announced that he’s planning to nominate ethically-embattled, far-right former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as his attorney general, tapping a figure with a checkered record on antisemitism for a role with key responsibilities in addressing discrimination and hate crimes.

The announcement that Trump sought to nominate Gaetz, a scandal-plagued figure widely disliked among his House Republican colleagues, was met with a skeptical reaction from some Senate Republicans — though Trump could try to force the confirmation through as a recess appointment without a Senate vote. 

Gaetz, who resigned hours after the announcement, had been under investigation by the House Ethics committee for allegations including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and corruption. An explosive final report was expected within days, according to news reports, but now may never see the light of day.

Earlier this year, Gaetz was one of the most vocal Republican critics of the House-passed Antisemitism Awareness Act, claiming that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism would label the Bible as antisemitic because, he said, “the Bible is clear” that Jews killed Jesus —tapping into a long-recognized antisemitic trope.

“This evening, I will vote AGAINST the ridiculous hate speech bill called the ‘Antisemitism Awareness Act,’” Gaetz said before the vote. “Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!”

Gaetz faced condemnation in 2018 for inviting Holocaust denier and white nationalist Charles Johnson as his guest to the State of the Union address. He claimed to be unaware of Johnson’s history. Even after being made aware of Johnson’s past comments, Gaetz defended him, saying that Johnson is “not a Holocaust denier, he’s not a white supremacist.”

In 2021, Gaetz defended Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for comments comparing COVID mitigation measures to the Holocaust.

“[Greene] defends Israel and attacks Democrats. Media falsely slams [Greene] as antisemitic. Some Republicans take the bait, sadly,” Gaetz said.

Gaetz described the Anti-Defamation League as “racist” in 2021 for calling for the firing of Fox News host Tucker Carlson for promoting the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. He further said that Carlson is “CORRECT about Replacement Theory.”

In 2019, Gaetz hired a former White House speechwriter who was fired from the White House for attending a conference popular among white nationalists. Another Gaetz staffer made comments online stating, “if you don’t defend child pornographers, we are only one step away from naziism” and brushed off the doxxing of Jewish columnist Bethany Mandel by the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer. The staffer also said that “slavery was voluntary” and “slaves owe us reparations.”

Gaetz also suggested George Soros may be responsible for organizing migrant caravans to the United States. He got into a heated exchange with an expert on Jewish studies at a House hearing last year about whether such rhetoric is antisemitic.

And he echoed a slogan used by the far-right Proud Boys militia group earlier this year.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, in a post on X Wednesday, spoke out against Gaetz’s expected nomination: “Rep. Matt Gaetz has a long history of trafficking in antisemitism — from explaining his vote against the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act by invoking the centuries-old trope that Jews killed Jesus to defending the Great Replacement Theory and inviting a Holocaust denier as his 2018 State of the Union guest. He should not be appointed to any high office, much less one overseeing the impartial execution of our nation’s laws.”

The American Jewish Committee also urged Trump to withdraw the nomination, and said the Senate has “a responsibility to reject it.”

“At a time of historic levels of antisemitism, we need someone at the helm of the Department of Justice who will tackle antisemitism — not peddle in it,” the AJC said in a statement. “Matt Gaetz’s history of problematic remarks — including perpetuating antisemitic conspiracy theories — should be disqualifying for anyone seeking to be America’s top law enforcement officer. “

The nonpartisan AJC and ADL rarely weigh in on presidential nominations, especially in such strident terms.

Abe Foxman, the former national director of the ADL, said the pick “doesn’t bode well for democracy” and constitutes “an assault on rule of law.”

Several Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Gaetz will undergo confirmation hearings, predicted that the Florida lawmaker would face a rough path to winning the Attorney General job.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said, “I have very few skills, vote counting is one, and I think he’s got a lot of work to get 50. We got 53 members, not a Democrat that’s going to vote for him. Presumably the folks that have put them forward have gamed that out, but I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn eating confirmation.”

“Mr. Gaetz and I have jousted on certain issues between the House and the Senate. That happens. I haven’t looked at his full body of work and his credentials here, I’ll give him an honest look,” Tillis added. “Everybody’s going to jump to the headlines and the gaming out of the nominees. I think we owe it to them to let them go through the vetting process, let them get through the committee hearing and if the Trump transition folks have done their homework, they’ve already addressed these concerns. Otherwise, we’ll see it come out once we get through.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said that senators “will do our job here. We have a constitutional role. He’ll be vetted and come before the Judiciary Committee, and I assume we’ll have some questions for him.”

Asked about the sexual misconduct claims against him being investigated by the House Ethics Committee, Cornyn replied: “Well, that might come up.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that, “The confirmation hearing will be important. He’ll have some tough questions to answer. I’m inclined to support presidential cabinet picks, I’ve done it for both sides, and I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Other Senate Republicans said they’re skeptical of the nomination.

Asked if Gaetz was a serious candidate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said, “not as far as I’m concerned.”

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she was “shocked at the nomination,” adding that she expected Gaetz would be forced to answer the “many, many questions” lawmakers have about his record “if, in fact, the nomination goes forward.” 

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said that “he’s got his work cut out for him.”

Some Republicans said they planned to support Gaetz, while others declined to reveal what they were thinking about the surprising nomination.

“We’re gonna walk through the process and everything,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), a co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, said when asked if he had any concerns about Gaetz’s nomination.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who has previously accused Gaetz of sleeping with an underage girl and showing pornographic material to other lawmakers on the House floor, defended Trump’s decision to nominate the Florida lawmaker. 

“There’s no question that we’ve had our differences, they’ve been very public about it. I completely trust President Trump’s decision making on this one, but at the same time he’s got to come to the Senate and sell himself,” Mullin said during a CNN appearance. “There are a lot of questions that are gonna be out there. He’s got to answer those questions, and hopefully he’s able to answer the questions right. If he can, we’ll go through the confirmation process.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), a Trump ally, said on Fox News that those Republicans considering opposing Gaetz would face retribution from Trump and his allies. “We’re gonna try to get you out of the Senate if you try to do that,” the Alabama senator said.

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) deflected when asked about Gaetz, only responding, “I look forward to getting to President Trump’s nominees after we hear their plans for the department.”

Some of Gaetz’s House Republican colleagues openly mocked the nomination.

The Florida congressman was also one of just a few dozen House Republicans who voted against supplemental aid to Israel and one of a small number of Republicans who was not an original cosponsor of a resolution standing with Israel after Oct. 7, though he joined as a co-sponsor after it was first introduced.

In Congress, Gaetz has also been a vocal opponent of diversity programs in the federal government.

Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the liberal-leaning Jewish Council for Public Affairs, also expressed concerns about Gaetz’s record.

“DOJ is responsible for protecting the fundamental rights of Americans, including prosecuting violent extremism and hate crimes. It’s deeply concerning that Rep. Gaetz has repeatedly evoked and even defended such extremism, including the Great Replacement that fueled the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history,” Spitalnick told JI. “If he is to serve as Attorney General, he should unequivocally make clear he rejects all forms of hate and bigotry.”

This story was updated at 4:30 a.m. ET to include Matt Gaetz’s resignation