Matt Gaetz Resigned From the House and Avoided an Ethics Investigation

The news that Donald Trump had selected Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general left plenty of people shocked and scratching their heads. Gaetz was not on the top list of contenders, and plenty of people weren't even sure whether he was actually a lawyer.

Now that Trump has announced that Gaetz will be his nominee, Gaetz has also stepped down from his role in the House of Representatives. This move was also a bit surprising, in part because Gaetz won't be officially nominated until after Trump takes office on Jan. 20. This naturally led many people to wonder why Gaetz had chosen to resign now. Here's what we know.

Gaetz resigned from the House the same day that Trump announced that he would be his pick for attorney general. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the resignation, saying “He issued his resignation letter effective immediately from Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit."

Johnson is claiming that Gaetz told to tender his resignation quickly because he knew how long it would take to appoint a replacement for his seat.

Governor Ron DeSantis will be in charge of that appointment, and Johnson suggested that Gaetz's seat could be filled before the new Congress assembles on Jan. 3. Gaetz's seat will eventually be subject to a special election.

Johnson's explanation rang false to some other members of the House, though, who claimed that Gaetz had tendered his resignation to bring an end to a House Ethics investigation that revolved around him.

The investigation was focused on several allegations of wrongdoing, including his role in the sex trafficking of a minor, and a report in the investigation was set to be released in a matter of days. Now, that investigation has been ended and the report that was apparently close to ready for release will never see the light of day. If that didn't play a role in Gaetz's decision to resign, it's certainly a convenient coincidence.

Although that Ethics report might have been enough reason to step down all by itself, it might have been a hasty decision. Some Republicans in the Senate are reportedly expressing doubt about whether Gaetz will be confirmed by the legislature, even though Republicans will control the chamber.

“I don’t think Matt cares if he gets confirmed — everybody is talking about him … so for Matt this is a win,” Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) told Politico. He also added that Gaetz “ran around here last term like a 6-year-old with a loaded revolver and a happy trigger finger.”

Even among his Republican colleagues, Gaetz was unpopular because of his efforts to jettison Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an effort that through the House into chaos for weeks. He may not be popular with the rank and file, but Trump clearly likes him enough to appoint him as one of the most powerful officers in the government.