Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said he has "no idea" why former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, abruptly resigned Wednesday, "and, quite frankly, I was surprised that he did."
"We're going to let this all unfold. This is the job of the Senate," Van Drew said Thursday on Newsmax's "National Report." "The House has its responsibilities. The Senate has its responsibilities. The president of the United States, president-elect of the United States, has indicated that he will be his nominee. Now, it has to go through the process, and we're going to have to see what happens in the Senate."
The Justice Department for two years investigated allegations that Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl and possibly violated sex trafficking laws.
The department closed its probe last year without filing any charges, but the House Ethics Committee in 2021 opened a similar inquiry.
The panel was expected to vote Friday on whether to release the "highly damaging" report outlining its probe, according to PunchBowl News.
Gaetz's resignation complicates the math for House Republicans, who are on track to have a slim majority. With Gaetz out, they will be down one seat from the start.
"We have to make sure we keep the majority," said Van Drew. "And I know the speaker, I was with him yesterday and we also saw the president yesterday as well. They understand the importance of that. And I think we can't afford to lose more members at this point. We're still going to have the majority, but again, that's number one priority. And we can't strip too many more people away right now until we have individuals who legally can replace those who are leaving."
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