Criticisms and disappointment have continued to greet the nomination of Matt Gaetz as the U.S. Attorney-General with the latest being journalists crying and hugging each other in the CNN hallway, according to CNN chief legal correspondent Paula Reid on the programme “The Situation Room.”

Ms Reid on Friday said her newsroom colleagues were devastated to learn that President-elect Donald Trump picked Matt Gaetz, a controversial Republican, as his attorney-general and forwarded his name to Congress for confirmation.

The nomination caused them to burst into tears and seek comfort in each other’s arms at the masthead’s hallways, in a dramatic turn of events that highlights the news organisation’s level of disappointment in Mr Trump’s cabinet choice or even choices.

“We’ve seen people today, fellow reporters crying, hugging in the (CNN) hallway,” Ms Reid said on Friday. 

She said sources in President Joe Biden’s administration and even Mr Trump’s team demurred to the idea of Matt Gaetz spearheading legal operations.

“I have gotten text messages from sources, Trump administration, the Biden administration, no one is endorsing this,” Ms Reid said emphatically.

Announcing Mr Gaetz nomination on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he was confident that the former congressman “will end weaponised government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organisations and restore Americans’ badly- shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department.” 

The Republican had previously been investigated for a slew of allegations including child sex trafficking, sexual misconduct and so on. But the justice department never charged him. Mr Gaetz denied any wrongdoing and said his sex life with consenting fellow adults was not a topic for the public

“The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress,” Mr Gaetz wrote on social media in September.

The nomination is expected to spark a contentious confirmation process, with critics and supporters likely to clash over his qualifications and past controversies.