Matt Gaetz has railed against Big Tech companies. If he becomes Trump’s attorney general, he’d have legal power to act on his complaints.
President-elect Donald Trump named Rep. Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general, an appointment which, if approved by the Senate, would give the Florida Republican sweeping legal power and the opportunity to act on his longstanding complaints against Big Tech.
Gaetz has frequently railed against Big Tech, accusing Silicon Valley firms of censoring conservatives, and in recent years has emerged as a fierce advocate for antitrust enforcement, particularly against companies like Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet.
“The internet’s hall monitors out in Silicon Valley, they think they can suppress us, discourage us. Maybe if you’re just a little less patriotic. Maybe if you just conform to their way of thinking a little more, then you’ll be allowed to participate in the digital world”, Gaetz said during a 2021 appearance shortly after Trump had been banned from social media platforms following the January 6 insurrection.
“Well, you know what? Silicon Valley can’t cancel this movement, or this rally, or this congressman”, he told the audience. “We have a Second Amendment in this country, and I think we have an obligation to use it.”
Still, it’s unclear how much his appointment to attorney general, if approved by the Senate, would impact Silicon Valley.
A representative for the congressman did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
