Matt Gaetz, Trump's Attorney General Pick, Resigns from Congress Days Before Possible House Ethics Bombshell

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress following his nomination for attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump, according to news sources.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Gaetz’s resignation on Wednesday, Nov. 13, according to The Hill, Fox News and Axios. 

"I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately," Johnson said at a press conference, Fox News reports. "That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, ‘Well, you can't have too many absences.’ "

Johnson also added, per Fox News and Axios, that there's "about an eight-week period" to fill Gaetz’s vacancy, according to state law, and he was in touch with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the matter. "I've already placed a call to Gov. DeSantis in Florida and said, 'Let's start the clock' ... and we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3," he said, according to Axios.

The news comes amid a House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Gaetz, 42, relating to sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other allegations, which he has denied.

Sources told Axios that the committee was set to hold a meeting later this week on the probe, which is one of the final steps before its final report would have been released.

Another source told The New York Times that the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on whether to release the report at that meeting and that, if approved, the report would have been published on Friday, Nov. 15.

However, due to the Florida congressman’s resignation, the House Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction to continue its investigation, and it's unclear whether the report will eventually be released, Axios and The New York Times reported.

Gaetz was also recently investigated by the Department of Justice — which Trump, 78, tapped him to lead — in a sex-trafficking probe, though investigators declined to bring charges last year. 

Gaetz, who has been at the center of House GOP infighting, is one of Trump's most vocal allies in Congress.

He has repeatedly claimed that the DOJ and FBI are corrupt under President Joe Biden while simultaneously endorsing Trump's rhetoric to seek retribution against his enemies using the same government bodies.

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Though Trump has nominated Gaetz, his nomination would still need to be voted on by the Senate, which currently is controlled by Republicans in a 53-47 split. While Republicans have the majority, it is not guaranteed that Trump's nomination will be approved.

If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Gaetz would be one of the least qualified attorney generals in history. He earned his Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 2007 and briefly worked at a law firm before transitioning to politics in 2010.