Senate Democrat: Gaetz nomination ‘red alert moment for American Democracy’

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) sounded the alarm Wednesday after President-elect Trump tapped former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as his attorney general, calling the move a "red alert."

“Listen, Matt Gaetz is dangerously unqualified. But that’s not the worst of it," Murphy told CNN's Jake Tapper in an interview Wednesday. "Gaetz has been Trump’s chief defender when it comes to Trump’s assault on democracy in his attempt to overthrow the government on January 6, and he has openly called for the abolition of law enforcement agencies if they don’t get in line with conservative political priorities,”

"This is going to be a red alert moment for American democracy," he added.

Trump’s nomination of Gaetz sent shock waves through Capitol Hill Wednesday. The former Florida lawmaker resigned from Congress directly after receiving the nomination.

The Florida Republican, a staunch Trump supporter, has also been the subject of a Justice Department investigation. Critics now worry that the department could be a prime vehicle for the Trump administration to go after the president-elect’s political enemies, as he’s called for on the campaign trail.

Murphy argued on CNN's "The Lead" that Gaetz is being nominated for “one reason only.”

“Because he will implement Donald Trump’s transition of the Department of Justice from an agency that stands up for all of us to an agency that is simply an arm of the White House designed to persecute and prosecute Trump’s political enemies,” Murphy said.

“This is a stunning announcement in some ways, but not surprising in others," he added.

The senator noted that the decision is unpopular, as lawmakers were audibly shocked to learn that Gaetz was nominated. Still, as Murphy noted, Republicans in the upper chamber will now be in a position to either stand up to Trump in a way they haven’t before or fall in line and nominate Gaetz.

Two centrist Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — both expressed shock and surprise at Trump's choice.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for attorney general. We need to have a serious attorney general,” Murkowski told reporters after the announcement. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious.”

“This one was not on my bingo card,” she said.

Gaetz wasn't the only Cabinet choice that raised eyebrows. Trump's pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and tapping of billionaire Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new government efficiency department have also drawn scrutiny.