WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation's top prosecutor.
In selecting the congressman, Trump passed over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job.
鈥淢att will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans鈥� badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,鈥� Trump said in a statement.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP鈥檚 earlier story follows below.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as director of national intelligence, continuing to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities complimentary to his own, rather than long-term professionals in their requisite fields.
鈥淎s a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties - She is now a proud Republican!鈥� Trump said in a statement. 鈥淚 know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!鈥�
Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider, compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions.
Gabbard hasn鈥檛 worked directly in the intelligence community, outside of House committees, including two years on the Homeland Security Committee. Like others Trump has selected for his agency leadership, she has been among his most popular political surrogates, often drawing thunderous responses from crowds as she stumped for him in the campaign鈥檚 closing months.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP鈥檚 earlier story follows below.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) 鈥� President-elect named Sen. of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state on Wednesday, setting up a onetime critic who evolved into one of the president-elect鈥檚 fiercest defenders to become the nation鈥檚 top diplomat.
The conservative lawmaker is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump鈥檚 running mate this summer.
On Capitol Hill, Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has pushed for taking a harder line against China and has targeted social media app TikTok because its parent company is Chinese. He and other lawmakers contend that Beijing could demand access to the data of users whenever it wants.
鈥淗e will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,鈥� Trump said of Rubio in a statement.
Trump made the announcement while flying back back to Florida from Washington after meeting with President Joe Biden.
The selection is the culmination of a long, complicated history between the two men. During their tense competition for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, Rubio was especially blunt in his criticism of Trump, calling him a 鈥渃on artist鈥� and 鈥渢he most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency.鈥�
He tried to match Trump鈥檚 often-crude attacks by joking about the size of Trump鈥檚 hands in a reference to his manhood. Trump responded by branding Rubio as 鈥渓ittle Marco,鈥� a nickname that stuck with the senator for years.
But like many Republicans who sought to maintain their relevance in the Trump era, Rubio shifted his rhetoric. As speculation intensified that Trump might pick him as his running mate, Rubio sought to play down the tension from 2016, suggesting the heated tone simply reflected the intensity of a campaign.
鈥淭hat is like asking a boxer why they punched somebody in the face in the third round,鈥� Rubio told CNN when asked about his previous comments. 鈥淚t鈥檚 because they were boxing.鈥�
Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010 as part of the tea party wave of Republicans who swept into Washington. He quickly gained a reputation as someone who could embody a more diverse, welcoming Republican Party. He was a key member of a group that worked on a 2013 immigration bill that included a path to citizenship for millions of people in the country illegally.
But that legislation stalled in the House, where more conservative Republicans were in control, signaling the sharp turn to the right that the party 鈥� and Rubio 鈥� would soon embrace. Now, Rubio says he supports Trump鈥檚 plan to deploy the U.S. military to deport those in the country illegally.
鈥淲e are going to have to do something, unfortunately, we鈥檙e going to have to do something dramatic,鈥� Rubio said in a May interview with NBC.
He also echoes many of Trump鈥檚 attacks on his opponents as well as his false or unproven theories about voter fraud. After Trump was in what New York prosecutors charged was a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election, Rubio wrote a column for Newsweek saying Trump had 鈥渂een held hostage鈥� in court for 鈥渁 sham political show trial like the ones Communists used against their political opponents in Cuba and the Soviet Union.鈥�
Trump, meanwhile, has backed off his insistence while president that TikTok be banned in the United States, and he recently opened his own account on the platform.
A bill that would require the Chinese company ByteDance to was supported by Rubio even as Trump voiced opposition to the effort.
Rubio's Democratic counterpart on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Chairman Mark Warner of Virginia, praised the pick.
鈥淚 have worked with Marco Rubio for more than a decade on the Intelligence Committee, particularly closely in the last couple of years in his role as Vice Chairman, and while we don鈥檛 always agree, he is smart, talented, and will be a strong voice for American interests around the globe," Warner said in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump announced that longtime aide Dan Scavino will serve as a deputy without giving a specific portfolio, campaign political director James Blair as deputy for legislative, political and public affairs, and Taylor Budowich as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All will have the rank of assistant to the president.
Trump also formally announced Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, will be deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. That had previously been confirmed by Vice President-elect JD Vance on Monday.
Blair was the political director for Trump鈥檚 campaign and, once Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee, the political director for the Republican National Committee. He previously worked on Trump's 2020 campaign in Florida and was a top aide for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Scavino was a senior adviser on Trump鈥檚 campaign and, in his first term in the White House, he worked as a social media director.
He began working for Trump as a caddy at one of Trump鈥檚 golf courses, and was part of the small group of staffers who traveled with the president across the country for the entirety of the campaign. He frequently posts memes and videos of Trump's campaign travel online, cataloguing the campaign from the inside on social media.
Before joining the campaign, Budowich worked for the pro-Trump Super PAC, Maga Inc., and after Trump left office, Budowich served as his spokesman while working for Trump's political action committee, Save America.
鈥淒an, Stephen, James, and Taylor were 鈥榖est in class鈥� advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,鈥� Trump said in a statement. 鈥淭hey will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.鈥�
Miller is one of Trump鈥檚 longest-serving aides, dating back to his first campaign for the White House. He was a senior adviser in Trump鈥檚 first term and has been a central figure in many of his policy decisions, particularly on immigration, including Trump鈥檚 move to separate thousands of immigrant families as a deterrence program in 2018.
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Colvin reported from New York and Miller reported from Washington.
Michelle L. Price, Adriana Gomez Licon, Jill Colvin And Zeke Miller, The Associated Press
