Republican tells Fox News: Trump needs Mark Meadows as his chief of staff to protect himself from the Justice Dept

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said Monday that President Donald Trump needed a chief of staff who could protect him from law enforcement and the left.

During an interview on Fox News about former FBI Director James Comey, Gaetz touted ultra-conservative Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) for the White House job.

"Comey viewed the job of the FBI director as something very different than it's called. He thought it was appropriate to become a political hack to influence the media, to create these leaks and perception around their activity and really we want an FBI that investigates the facts and then provides information to the Department of Justice,” Gaetz told Fox News host Bill Hemmer.

"We don't want it to be an epicenter of political activity and now Comey is absolutely on the trail. You saw him yesterday. I think he will be very involved in the reelection campaign in 2020,” Gaetz said.

"It’s one of the reasons I think President Trump needs to pick Mark Meadows to be chief of staff. He understands the facts and timeline and will make sure the White House is prepared to go toe-to-toe with a politically engaged James Comey."

"Mark spends a lot of time at the White House already," Gaetz added. "I think it would be pretty seamless, and it would be a big mistake to bring someone in as chief of staff who is a good manager but who hasn't lived the timeline and the facts and the details the way Meadows has. He will be able to deploy countermeasures to protect the institution of the presidency against what I believe is a very illegitimate attack from the left and from elements of the FBI and the Department of Justice."