Matt Gaetz resigns ahead of key Ethics Committee meeting
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Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 17, 2024. Photo: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned from Congress just before the House Ethics Committee was set to hold a potentially pivotal meeting on its investigation into the Florida congressman, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Gaetz's resignation, just hours after Trump announced his nomination for attorney general, puts a swift end to the panel's wide-ranging probe.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Gaetz's intention was to allow a swift process to fill his seat as Trump's selection of several House members for administration roles has the GOP anxious about its slim majority.
- Gaetz could have a difficult time getting confirmed in the Senate, as many Republicans reacted to his nomination with shock and horror.
What we're hearing: The Ethics Committee had been scheduled to meet later this week on its investigation of Gaetz, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
- That meeting may have set the stage for the release of the panel's report into Gaetz as soon as Friday.
- The committee had been investigating allegations including sex trafficking, illicit drug use and accepting bribes, all of which Gaetz has categorically denied.
- Gaetz's abrupt resignation set off a flurry of speculation on Capitol Hill about whether that report will now see the light of day.
What they're saying: "I think, out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter — effectively immediately — from Congress," Johnson told reporters at a press conference.
- Johnson said Gaetz told him his resignation was to trigger the eight-week process that it takes to fill a U.S. House seat in Florida under state law.
- "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.
Zoom in: Johnson said Trump "tipped me off" to the nomination during his appearance at a GOP Conference meeting on Wednesday morning, and that he "talked to Matt immediately after the nomination was made."
- Johnson, who served with Gaetz on the House Judiciary Committee, said the Floridian is "one of the most intelligent members of Congress, he's an accomplished attorney."
- "I think he'll bring a lot to the table on that," Johnson added.
- Other Republicans, including many of Gaetz's House GOP colleagues and some senators who will be key to his confirmation, have trashed the pick.
The bottom line: Johnson acknowledged the resignation stops the Ethics Committee probe cold, saying the panel "has no jurisdiction" over former members of Congress.
Go deeper: Republicans "stunned and disgusted" as Trump taps Matt Gaetz for AG
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
