WASHINGTON — The mood in Congress among Republicans following Donald Trump’s announcement of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his pick for attorney general was best summed up by Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho): “Are you shittin’ me?”

As attorney general, Gaetz will be fully empowered to carry out Trump’s—and his own—incindiary mandate, litigating culture wars and carrying out personal vendettas. Republican Senator Thom Tillis put it aptly: “I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation.”

President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida firebrand who has been investigated by the Justice Department on allegations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice, to lead the nation's top law enforcement agency as U.S. Attorney General on Wednesday.