Thursday, 26 December 2024

Rep. Matt Gaetz Resigns From Congress Following Attorney General Nomination

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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) resigned from Congress after President Trump gave him the nod for attorney general in his administration.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed Gaetz’s resignation.

“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” Johnson said.

“That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences,” he added.

Johnson noted there’s an eight-week period to fill the vacant seat.

WATCH:

Fox News reports:

Johnson said he’s already in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter.

Speaking with reporters after internal House GOP leadership elections, Johnson said Trump had informed him about his decision to tap Gaetz for the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier on Wednesday morning.

He’s the third House Republican Trump has tapped for his new administration, after picking Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., for National Security Adviser (NSA).

Trump’s two earlier selections prompted concerns about thinning out an already-meager likely majority for the House GOP in the 119th Congress.

But Gaetz resigning early likely alleviates some of those concerns.

The Hill noted the resignation means the House Ethics investigation into the Florida Republican is essentially dead.

The panel will no longer have jurisdiction.

From The Hill:

But the larger impact of the resignation is that the House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz, which was in its final stages, will be effectively dead. The panel will have no jurisdiction to investigate Gaetz since he is no longer a member of Congress, and its findings may never see the light of day — a major boon for Gaetz as he prepares to face an already-skeptical Senate.

“Once a member is no longer a member of Congress, then Ethics has no jurisdiction,” House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters on Wednesday, after Gaetz received the attorney general nod. “So if Matt Gaetz were to be appointed as the attorney general, the Ethics investigation that is currently ongoing would cease at that point.”

The Ethics Committee was scheduled to meet on Friday to vote on whether or not to release the report about Gaetz, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill. Punchbowl News first reported on the planned meeting. The panel was still slated to meet Friday as of Wednesday evening, the source said.

While the Ethics Committee’s investigation into Gaetz has ceased because of his departure from Congress, the panel could still vote to release the report post-resignation. While such a move is rare, there is some precedent: In 1987, the committee released its report into former Rep. William Boner (D-Tenn.) after he resigned from the House.

Gaetz will likely face pushback from Senate Republicans on his nomination, with multiple senators signaling they would not support the nod.

Senate Republicans Signal Pushback Against Matt Gaetz Attorney General Nomination


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