Virginia attorney general expects ‘a lot more common sense’ during Trump presidency

Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he anticipates “a lot more common sense to come out of Washington” with a Trump presidency ahead. 

With President-elect Donald Trump heading to the Oval in January, Miyares said he looks forward to the administration rolling back “the overly burdensome regulations that have impacted so many Americans these last four years.”

“Everything from the OSHA vaccine mandate . . . to a pretty radical interpretation of Title IX to essentially say that now biological boys are allowed to be on women’s sports teams,” Miyares told Fox News Digital. “So I anticipate you’re going to see a lot more common sense to come out of Washington and come out of the administration.”

Miyares said he anticipates lots of new developments with the new Republican administration, and “we look forward to seeing it.”

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Following his win, Trump and his team have already started to announce various Cabinet nominations and policy expectations. Among them have included Trump’s announcement that he would be nominating Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general. 

Miyares did not directly comment on Gaetz as the potential head of the Justice Department, but clarified that he also looks forward to working with the new AG. 

“We’re going to work with the attorney general,” Miyares said. “I know that’s why we have the Senate to advise and consent.”

“But this is what I would say — the new administration and who they’re going to put in elevated leadership is, again, I think, going to be fundamentally different than I think some of the real left-wing ideology that we’ve seen pushed down by the Biden administration,” Miyares continued. 

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Miyares recently made headlines after challenging a lower court’s ruling ordering the state to restore the names of approximately 1,600 potential noncitizens to its voter rolls ahead of the Nov. 5 election. 

Miyares, along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, remained steadfast after the Department of Justice initially sued them over the voter removals, arguing that the state’s process was “individualized” and conducted in accordance with state and federal law. 

Miyares is up for re-election in 2025 but has yet to announce any formal plans for running again. Two Democrats have already announced their plans to run for the post, including former Virginia delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Both have voiced their criticisms of Gaetz’s nomination on social media. 

“When I am Virginia’s next Attorney General, you better believe I’ll be taking on Matt Gaetz’s overreach in court. We are going to hold this Administration accountable for Virginia families,” Jones wrote on X. 

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“Matt Gaetz, who was investigated by law enforcement for sex trafficking and who has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee (a Republican-led committee in a Republican-majority House) was nominated by President-Elect Trump as the next US Attorney General,” Taylor wrote on X. 

“I call on Attorney General Miyares @JasonMiyaresVA who is the highest legal officer in our Commonwealth, to oppose this appointment and to call on President Elect-Trump to instead nominate an Attorney General who is above reproach as opposed to a man under ethics investigation himself.”

Trump first announced his intentions to nominate Gaetz as AG in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, saying Gaetz “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”

Gaetz then confirmed the nomination on the social media site X, adding, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”

Shortly after the announcement, Gaetz resigned from his post in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced. 

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Republicans have already signaled concerns over Gaetz’s potential appointment. He was previously under a yearlong DOJ investigation stemming from accusations that he had had a sexual relationship with a minor, but the department ultimately did not press charges.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.