Rep. Matt Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress on Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump announced him as his pick for U.S. attorney general in his new administration.
With his resignation, the Florida Republican effectively ended the House Ethics Committee’s ongoing investigation into allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use (Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing).
The timing of his resignation could well be favorable for the scandal-plagued congressman. Punchbowl reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources familiar with the Ethics Commission’s Gaetz investigation, that the panel would vote this week on whether to release what Punchbowl sources described as a “very damaging” report . The Washington Post confirmed Punchbowl’s reporting, citing four people familiar with the matter. (Neither NBC News nor MSNBC have independently confirmed the report.)
Now that Gaetz is out of Congress, the Ethics Commission loses its authority to investigate the allegations. It is unclear whether the report can still be released. A source familiar with the situation told NBC News that if the committee voted Thursday, protocol would allow the report to be released Friday. A spokesperson for the commission declined to comment on whether the panel would issue a report.
Before House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Gaetz’s resignation, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss. told reporters Wednesday that “no report would be issued” if Gaetz left Congress. “That’s not unique to this case,” Gast said.
If the report is ultimately made public — and the findings are as damaging as has been reported — Gaetz’s path to attorney general could be significantly curtailed. Some Republicans have already objected to the idea of Gaetz running the DOJ.
The Justice Department — the agency Trump wants Gaetz to head — has separately investigated allegations that Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking and had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. The department concluded its investigation in February 2023 without filing any charges against him. (Gaetz has long denied the allegations against him.)
Regardless of whether the Ethics Commission releases its report, Gaetz would face a Senate confirmation process that would likely focus in part on the allegations against him and could make for potentially embarrassing televised investigations.
That is, if the Senate confirmation hearings even happen. Trump has demanded Senate Republicans allow recess appointments for his Cabinet picks, essentially allowing him to install whoever he wants — an extraordinary break with the country’s longstanding system of checks and balances. Presidents of both parties have made recess appointments, but they are often rare — Trump appears to want to bypass the Senate entirely. Sen. John Thune, who was voted in by Senate Republicans on Wednesday to serve as their majority leader next term, has indicated he would agree.
“We must act quickly and decisively to get presidential nominees in place as quickly as possible, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments,” Thune wrote on X on Sunday, before many of the more controversial Trump’s choices. had been mentioned. “We cannot allow that [Democratic Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats are blocking the will of the American people.”
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
