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

Mar. 15, 2025

Matt Gaetz in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024.Photo:Leon Neal/Getty

Leon Neal/Getty

House SpeakerMike Johnson(R-La.) announced Gaetz’s resignation on Wednesday, Nov. 13, according toThe Hill,Fox NewsandAxios.

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 DeSantison 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, whichhe has denied.

Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz in Sunrise, Florida, on Nov. 26, 2019.SMG/Shutterstock

SMG/Shutterstock

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 toldThe New York Timesthat 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 andThe New York Timesreported.

Matt Gaetz in Atlanta on Nov. 4, 2024.ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Gaetz, who has beenat 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 PresidentJoe Bidenwhile simultaneously endorsing Trump’s rhetoric to seek retribution against his enemies using the same government bodies.

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source: people.com