Rep. Matt Gaetz is immediately stepping down from his position in the U.S. House of Representatives.
It comes just hours after Donald Trump announced Gaetz as his pick to be Attorney General.
The move to resign from Congress comes as a shock after it became clear Gaetz could have issues clearing Senate confirmation to lead the Department of Justice.
But a report from Punchbowl News reveals that the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on releasing a report on his conduct on Friday. But if Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress, the panel loses its jurisdiction over him.
AG Merrick Garland‘s DOJ also conducted an investigation into the Florida Republican over claims of sex trafficking, but he was never charged.
House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed that he received Gaetz’s resignation letter on Wednesday, effective immediately.
Now, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will be able to appoint someone else to fill Gaetz’s opening House seat in in Florida’s 1st congressional district.
Johnson admitted that the resignation ‘caught us by surprise a little bit,’ but says he believes Gaetz resigned in order to prevent vacancies in the closely-split House and give DeSantis the eight weeks to find his successor.
DeSantis received a call from Johnson today to start initiating the process of finding a replacement.
The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz on and off since 2021.
The panel announced earlier this year that the GOP lawmaker was under investigation for sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and bribery.
That committee’s report may now never see the light of day.
