Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has resigned from the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced Wednesday, just hours after the Florida Republican was selected by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his attorney general. Johnson told reporters that Gaetz’s resignation was “effective immediately,” leaving Florida’s 1st district poised for a special election.
“I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,” Johnson said. “That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences.”
Johnson further explained that a key factor in Gaetz’s resignation was a Florida state law, which stipulates an “an 8-week period to select and fill a vacant seat.”
“If you 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.”
The task of scheduling the special election now falls to Governor Ron DeSantis, who was reportedly in contact with Johnson on Wednesday. Republicans currently maintain a razor-thin majority in the House, and their situation is unlikely to change when the new Congress convenes in January. Filling Gaetz’s seat has now become an urgent priority for House Republicans.
Subscribe to The Florida Jolt Newsletter!
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, is an “accomplished attorney” and is “concerned about the lawfare… in the Department of Justice under the Biden Administration” and explains why Gaetz resigned from Congress. pic.twitter.com/Eo2pbMmWNO
— America (@america) November 14, 2024
Gaetz was tapped for attorney general by Trump in a shock announcement Wednesday, which drew both praise and criticism from some of his former GOP colleagues on the Hill. The firebrand Republican is expected to have an intense nomination battle ahead of him, as some GOP senators expressed skepticism over Trump’s pick.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-MA), a frequent Trump critic who did not vote for him this year, said she would refuse to confirm Gaetz. “I was shocked that he has been nominated,” she told reporters.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) expressed similar disapproval, saying she did not consider Gaetz “a serious nomination for the attorney general.”
“We need to have a serious attorney general, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card,” she said.
However, Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD), newly elected to lead the Senate GOP on Wednesday, indicated in an interview with Fox News Digital that he was open to supporting Gaetz.
“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments.”
Join your fellow patriots and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/dg0iQ0bA6Y
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024
Gaetz is the third Florida lawmaker to be tapped for the new Trump administration, following Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, and Rep. Mike Waltz for National Security Adviser. The President-elect expressed his hopes that Gaetz would achieve “desperately needed reform” at the Justice Department.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump said.
Other stories you may want to read:
- Gaetz Resigns From Congress After AG Nomination - November 14, 2024
- Trump Taps Elon, Vivek, Rubio for New Admin - November 13, 2024
- Trump’s Final Campaign Message: ‘We Fight’ - November 4, 2024