Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, effective immediately.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made the announcement hours after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz as attorney general. The former lawmaker may face an uphill battle during the confirmation process. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has already said she opposes the nomination.
The House Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz over accusations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, obstruction of an investigation, and other allegations. Last year, the Department of Justice ended a probe into the lawmaker and declined to bring charges against him. With Gaetz’s resignation, the committee’s probe will also end and no report will be issued.
Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News reported that the Ethics Committee was set to vote on releasing a “highly damaging” reporter on the lawmaker. With Gaetz out of Congress, the committee has now lost its investigatory jurisdiction over him.
“Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) resignation from Congress came two days before the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on releasing a ‘highly damaging’ report outlining its investigation into the Republican, according to multiple sources familiar with the probe,” Sherman reported. “The committee planned to vote Friday on releasing the report. Ethics loses its jurisdiction over Gaetz when he leaves Congress. The secretive panel has been investigating Gaetz on and off since 2021.”
Gaetz is the third Republican member of the House Trump has chosen to serve in his administration. Come January, Republicans will narrowly control the House, though it is unclear by how many seats because votes are still be counted in congressional races that haven’t been called.
Gaetz was first elected to Congress in 2016 and has been a staunch supporter of Trump ever since. Last year, Gaetz roiled the House by filing a motion to vacate, which triggered a vote on whether to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The gambit worked and McCarthy was ousted. It took the lower chamber three weeks and several failed speaker nominations to choose Johnson as its leader.
McCarthy has claimed Gaetz wanted him to stop the Ethics Committee investigation, but Gaetz claims the motion to vacate was prompted by promises McCarthy made and subsequently broke. In January, CNN reported that Gaetz privately told colleagues that he initiated McCarthy’s ouster due to the ethics probe.
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