Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has tendered his resignation from Congress “effective immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed Wednesday.
The shock announcement comes on the same day Gaetz was surprisingly selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as attorney general in his incoming administration – and reportedly before a Friday vote on whether to release a House Ethics Committee report related to allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use involving the now former congressman.
“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately. That caught us by surprise a little bit,” Johnson (R-La.) said during a press conference.
The House speaker noted that he hopes to fill the now vacant Florida 1st District seat by Jan. 3.
Gaetz’s resignation will end the House Ethics Committee investigation that was initiated in April 2021, over allegations that the congressman engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.
The ethics panel was reportedly set to vote Friday on whether to release its “highly damaging” report on Gaetz, according to Punchbowl News.
With Gaetz resigning, the panel no longer has jurisdiction to pursue the investigation.
Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
His office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Johnson made no mention of the ethics probe during his remarks to reporters and signaled that Gaetz’s abrupt resignation was strictly related to getting a Republican replacement in the House as soon as possible.
“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.”
“We’re grateful for that.”
Trump’s announcement earlier in the day that he had picked Gaetz to be his top Justice Department official surprised many and repulsed some in Congress.
One GOP aide told The Post that they don’t expect Gaetz to be confirmed for the Cabinet post by the GOP-led Senate.
The Florida Republican led the charge to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in October 2023 – putting him on unfavorable terms with many in Congress.
Trump, 78, referred to Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who “distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice” in his announcement Wednesday.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” Trump said of Gaetz.
“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” the president-elect added.
