Gaetz, Gabbard and Hegseth: Trumps Appointments Are a Show of Force

A Fox News ally for defense secretary.A former Democrat-turned-Trump-World-celebrity to oversee 18 spy agencies.

A right-wing provocateur for the nation’s top law enforcement job.President-elect Donald J.Trump’s appointments for top government jobs continued to roll in fast and furiously on Wednesday, and his promise to build a presidential administration fueled by retribution quickly came into view.Those plans were perhaps best summarized by Representative Matt Gaetz, who wrote of his enthusiasm for the wholesale elimination of federal law enforcement agencies just hours before Mr.

Trump announced he’d chosen the Florida Republican to lead the Justice Department:“We ought to have a full-court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people,” Mr.Gaetz wrote on social media on Wednesday.

“And if that means abolishing every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”Mr.Trump could not have said it better himself.

And that is the entire point.The president-elect’s other bombshell picks include Pete Hegseth, a military veteran known for defending Mr.Trump on Fox News, to be his defense secretary; and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, to be director of national intelligence.“These are so appalling they’re a form of performance art,” Michael Waldman, the president of the Brennan Center for Justice, said in an interview, reflecting on Mr.

Trump’s choices and their fitness for their jobs.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....