CNN anchor Jake Tapper couldn’t contain his bewilderment after President-elect Donald Trump announced his shock nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his attorney general.

“Welcome to The Lead, I’m Jake Tapper. And let me start the show by uttering some words that I had never considered together before. And those words are: US Attorney General Matt Gaetz,” the host opened his show on Wednesday evening.

“Because if you’re wondering what Trump looks like without the guardrails, then we get an idea that goes beyond theory,” he added.

Trump announced earlier Wednesday afternoon that Gaetz will become his new administration’s top prosecutor, sending shockwaves through Congress — even among Republicans, who have openly criticized Gaetz.

The 42-year-old Republican firebrand, known for his fierce loyalty to Trump, immediately resigned from Congress after Trump’s announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Gaetz’s resignation marks the end of a House Ethics Committee investigation that began in April 2021, following allegations that the congressman engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to individuals with with whom he had a personal relationship. and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.

According to Punchbowl News, the ethics panel was expected to vote on Friday on whether to release its “highly damaging” report on Gaetz.

However, since Gaetz resigned, the panel no longer has authority to continue the investigation.

Gaetz has strongly denied all allegations.

Trump called Gaetz a “profoundly gifted and tenacious attorney” who would “end the gun-toting government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ deeply shattered faith and trust in the Department of Justice.”

The former congressman will “root out systemic corruption at DOJ and return the Department to its true mission: fighting crime and upholding our democracy and Constitution,” the new commander-in-chief vowed.

It is unclear whether Gaetz can secure the votes for a nomination despite the Republican Party’s control of the Senate, as Gaetz’s nomination reportedly ruffled the feathers of moderate Republicans in the Senate.

Several House GOP members meeting on Capitol Hill burst out laughing when they heard the announcement, a source told The Post.

Other insiders told The Hill and Politico that some lawmakers gasped and one laughed to the point of tears in a room where members were meeting to select their leadership team for the 119th Congress.

If confirmed, Gaetz would replace AG Merrick Garland, who Trump has long accused of going after Republicans — and who also led a Florida sex trafficking investigation that the Justice Department ultimately dropped in 2023.