Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has resigned from Congress "effective immediately" following his nomination to be attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Wednesday.
Gaetz's surprise resignation also ends the House Ethics Committee investigation that began in April of 2021 over allegations the congressman engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, and sought to obstruct the government investigation into his behavior.
"I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately. That caught us by surprise a little bit," Johnson said during a press conference.
Johnson did not mention the ethics investigation to reporters but noted that the prompt resignation was designed to aid Republicans in finding a replacement to take over Gaetz's seat in the House. "I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, 'Well, you can't have too many absences,'" the House speaker said.
"Under Florida state law, there's about an eight-week period to select and fill the vacancy. And so by [resigning] today, that allows me — I've already placed a call to [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis] and said, 'Let's start the clock,'" he added.
"If we 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. "So, Matt has done us a great service by making that decision as he did on the fly."
In a statement announcing his pick, Trump said, "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations, and restore Americans' badly shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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