President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who has clashed with Republican leaders in the House and served as a lightning rod against Democrats, to serve as attorney general in his incoming administration.

In a statement, Mr. Trump said he was nominating Mr. Gaetz because he is a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney.” He has been one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal defenders in the House.

“Matt will end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department. … He is a champion for the constitution and the rule of law,” Mr. Trump wrote.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Gaetz will return the Justice Department to what he described as “its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our democracy and constitution.” 

“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Mr. Gaetz responded on X.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Gaetz, 42, will lead a department that carried out a sex-trafficking investigation into him.

The Justice Department ultimately declined to charge Mr. Gaetz with any wrongdoing after a two-year investigation. 

But Mr. Gaetz remains the subject of an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges or engaged in illicit drug use. 

He has denied any wrongdoing, including ever having paid for sex with a minor or paying for sex. In September, Mr. Gaetz said that he would no longer voluntarily participate in the panel’s probe. 

A conservative firebrand on Capitol Hill, Mr. Gaetz could take over a Justice Department that Mr. Trump has already pledged to drastically overhaul. 

The department with roughly 115,000 employees sits at the center of Mr. Trump’s key campaign promises, including reducing crime and dolling out billions of dollars in grant funding for immigration enforcement, border security and policing. 

Mr. Gaetz last year orchestrated the ouster of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, after he struck a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown. He has also been a stalwart loyalist of Mr. Trump since he first came to Washington. 

• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.