Matt Gaetz stunned Washington on Thursday with his own notice has been stepping down as Donald Trump’s Attorney General, as the recently resigned Florida representative to be confirmed faces serious questions amid allegations of adultery.
Gaetz said in Thursday’s speech at the X that his nomination has become “a well-guarded conflict for Washington.”
“I remain fully committed to ensuring that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history,” he said he wrote. “I will always be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I am confident that he will save America.”
The decision may remove the biggest hang over Gaetz – whether he will be confirmed in the Senate – but it creates some uncertainty. That is, can he, and will he return to Congress?
When Gaetz resigned last week, he announced that he was resigning from the current, 118th Congress, declaring that he did not want to take office in January of 119, even though he had just won the election. where it is at the beginning of this month.
If Gaetz decides he wants to return to Congress, House rules could bar him from taking his seat, and he could run again in a special election in Florida, as the US Constitution calls for special elections to fill House vacancies.
Gaetz may face special elections to return to Congress (AFP via Getty Images)
One way or another, if Gaetz returns to Congress, the year of the crime will remain on the Florida attorney general.
The Republican left Congress two days before the House Ethics Committee’s impeachment inquiry, in which a witness said Gaetz paid him for sex. Gaetz has denied the allegations in the ethics committee’s investigation, as well as the one involving the Department of Justice regarding the sex trafficking of Gaetz and his associates. The DOJ has not charged Gaetz with any crime.
Following his resignation, the ethics committee’s powers have lapsed, and members of the committee are still debating whether to publish their findings.
If Gaetz returns to the House, the ethics inquiry would regain its control, potentially clearing the way for the findings to be made public again.
It is not the Trump administration that Gaetz has publicly stated that the future plan is likely to be reserved for the Florida Republican, although Gaetz can serve as a non-cabinet member of the Trump administration without a comprehensive plan to confirm the Senate.
“I really appreciate Matt Gaetz’s efforts to seek approval to be Attorney General. He was doing the right thing, but at the same time, he didn’t want to interfere with the Government, which he has a lot of respect for,” Trump said in a statement today. Matt has a bright future, and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!”