Arizona’s Republican congressional delegation has been broadly supportive of Donald Trump’s proposed executive nominees, though one unexpected nomination even took the president-elect’s allies by surprise.
Rep. Debbie Lesko, who is retiring from Congress this year and was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, praised Trump’s slate of recently-announced nominees, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who the president-elect will nominate as ambassador to Israel.
“I think all of the appointments are going to work out just great, including Huckabee’s,” Lesko said. “He’ll stand strong with Israel as I do.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, one of Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress, praised Trump’s decision to nominate Tom Homan, his former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as his incoming “border czar.” He also applauded the announced nominations of former New York Reps. Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency and Elise Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations.
“[They] know what they’re doing, want to get it done, believe in it, and (are) going to work hard. That’s awesome,” Biggs said.
Trump also announced he would establish a new Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a move supported by many Republicans.
“Wonderful, because Congress, staff, the media, the outside thinktanks, I would argue are all intellectually calcified,” Rep. David Schweikert said.
Trump clarified the new entity will not actually be a federal department, which can only be created by an act of Congress. Instead, he says it will be an outside organization that will provide advice on how to slash regulations and cut spending. Trump said the organization’s work will conclude by July 4, 2026.
Biggs and fellow Arizona Republican Rep. Eli Crane also cheered Trump’s decision to nominate former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general, an announcement that drew condemnation from Democrats and even some Republicans.
Gaetz was the subject of a House ethics investigation and criminal probe into allegations of child sex trafficking and sexual misconduct. Prosecutors never brought any charges against Gaetz. And Gaetz’s decision to resign from the House shortly after Trump announced his nomination put an end to the House’s ethics inquiry, according to NPR.
Lesko, who served with Gaetz on the House Judiciary Committee, said she did not see the nomination coming.
“Well, as far as I want to say it was a surprising, surprising nomination,” Lesko said. “And that’s about all that I would say at this time.”
Lesko said she is not sure whether Gaetz will make it through the Senate confirmation process. She noted some Republican senators, including Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, have already criticized the choice.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct where Mike Huckabee was governor.
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