WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has had few defenders in Congress as reliable as Matt Gaetz, who has thundered at one prosecutor after another for perceived bias against the president-elect and emphatically amplified the Republican’s rallying cry that the criminal investigations into him are “witch hunts.”

Republican majorities in both chambers of the U.S. Congress will give Donald Trump the power to achieve many of his goals.

Trump announced Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general on Wednesday, a choice that shocked congressional Republicans and sparked backlash from Democrats. Gaetz, a frequent pot-stirrer in the House Republican Conference, has been mired in controversy and investigated by the House Ethics Committee in connection with a sex-trafficking scandal.

Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump

Reaction among Republicans on Capitol Hill to President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general ranged from shock to support to outright dismissal.

Republican senators signaled Thursday that they plan to closely scrutinize allegations of wrongdoing dogging Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department.