Rep. Matt Gaetz has resigned from Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Wednesday, the same day President-elect Donald Trump tapped the Florida lawmaker to serve as his attorney general.
Johnson said Gaetz’s resignation is “effective immediately.” A special election will be held in Gaetz’s district located in western Florida to determine his replacement.
The move will end a House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz. The panel said in June it was expanding the probe to include additional allegations.
The committee is looking into a variety of claims that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted “improper gifts” and gave out special favors. Gaetz denied the allegations.
The speaker said he asked Gaetz for his reasoning for stepping down from his post, and he cited state law that outlines “an 8-week period to select and fill a vacant seat.”
“If you start the clock now, if you do the math, we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3 when we take the new oath of office for the new Congress,” Johnson explained.
Republicans already hold a razor-thin majority in the House, and their control is also set to be tight in 2025. It could be even tighter if Gaetz’s seat isn’t filled at the beginning of Trump’s second term.
However, it wasn’t immediately clear on Wednesday if Gaetz has the support to be confirmed in the Senate as Trump’s attorney general.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “We need to have a serious attorney general and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody who is serious.”
The Florida Republican has been a vocal critic of the Justice Department from his seat on the Judiciary Committee and a staunch defender of Trump. Gaetz without evidence accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of weaponizing the department and called President Joe Biden “senile” in a hearing over his handling of classified documents.
Gaetz also accused FBI Director Christopher Wray of being “blissfully ignorant” about how agents ran their investigations.
The Florida lawmaker has also railed against some of his fellow Republicans. He led the handful of GOP rebels last year who were pivotal in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from his leadership post.
“He’s a reformer in his mind and heart, and I think he’ll bring a lot to the table on that,” Johnson said.
