Sunday, 01 December 2024

Matt Gaetz Resigns From Congress Following Attorney General Nomination


MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES - JULY 17: US Representative Matt Gaetz speaks during the third day of Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on July 17, 2024. Thousands of Republicans have gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to show their support for former US President Donald Trump as a crucial November election draws closer.Jacek Boczarski / Anadolu via Getty Images

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) resigned from U.S. Congress effectively immediately after President-elect Donald Trump announced that he was being nominated to serve as U.S. Attorney General.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced at a press conference that Gaetz “issued his resignation letter effective immediately.”

He said that Gaetz’s resignation caught House Republican leadership by surprise.

“I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have too many absences,'” Johnson said. “So under Florida State law, there’s about an eight week period to select and fill in a vacant seat.”

Johnson said that he has already placed a call to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to start the clock on filling Gaetz’s seat.

“If we start the clock now, if you do the math, we may be able to fill that seat as early as January 3, when we take the new oath of office for the new Congress,” Johnson said. “So Matt would have done us a great service by making that decision as he did on the fly, and so we’re grateful for that.”

Gaetz’s resignation ends a House investigation into explosive allegations made against the congressman, which he has vehemently denied.

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Punchbowl News reported that the House Ethics Committee was set to vote in two days on whether to release a report outlining the findings from its investigation.

Trump officially nominated Gaetz, who is one of his most hardcore supporters and defenders, on Wednesday to serve as the next attorney general.

“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,” Trump posted on social media.

Trump said that ending the weaponization of the justice system was one of his top priorities and that Gaetz would focus on that issue along with prosecuting drug cartels.

“On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization,” Trump said.

“Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution,” he added. “We must have Honesty, Integrity, and Transparency at DOJ. Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will be proud of the Department of Justice once again.”

Gaetz responded to the news by posting on X: “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”


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