Matt Gaetz announces bold move just hours after Trump made him his shock cabinet pick to be attorney general
Rep. Matt Gaetz will immediately resign from his position in the U.S. House of Representatives.
It comes just hours after Donald Trump announced Gaetz as his pick for attorney general.
The decision to resign from Congress comes as a shock after it became clear that Gaetz could face trouble winning Senate confirmation to lead the Justice Department.
Only one report from Punchbowl News reveals that the House Ethics Committee would vote on Friday on releasing a report on his conduct. But if Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, the panel will lose jurisdiction over him.
AG Merrick Garland’s DOJ also investigated the Florida Republican over sex trafficking claims, but he was never charged.
Rep. Matt Gaetz made a shocking announcement that he is immediately resigning from Congress
Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson revealed that he received Gaetz’s resignation letter on Wednesday, effective immediately.
Now, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will be able to appoint someone else to fill Gaetz’s opening seat in the House of Representatives in Florida’s 1st congressional district.
Johnson admitted the resignation “took us a little by surprise” but said he believes Gaetz resigned to avoid vacancies in the closely divided House and give DeSantis the eight weeks to find his successor.
DeSantis received a call from Johnson today to begin the process of finding a replacement.
The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz on and off since 2021.
The panel announced earlier this year that the Republican lawmaker was under investigation for sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and bribery.
That committee’s report may now never see the light of day.
Trump announced on Wednesday his intention to oust Rep. appoint Gaetz as attorney general to lead reforms at the Justice Department — the same agency that investigated the lawmaker over sex trafficking allegations
Gaetz married his wife Ginger Luckey in 2021
Allegations about Gaetz’s sexual relationships with underage girls resurfaced Wednesday after Trump announced the Florida representative as his pick for attorney general.
Senator Markwayne Mullin blasted Gaetz earlier this year for showing images of girls he “slept with” to colleagues on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Oklahoma senator now tells CNN he has confidence in Trump’s decision to pick Gaetz to join his Cabinet and lead the Justice Department.
But he warned Geatz about questions he will face during Senate confirmation hearings.
While Republicans regained control of the Senate in the 2024 elections, Gaetz is controversial even among members of his own party.