Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has resigned his House seat after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to become the next attorney general.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made the announcement Wednesday, shortly after Trump nominated Gaetz to lead the Department of Justice.
Saying Gaetz’s swift resignation came as a surprise to House leadership, Johnson said, “I asked him [Gaetz] what the reasoning was, and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have too many absences.’”
The news will give Republicans time to cement its footprint in the lower chamber, as it allows Florida to fill Gaetz’s vacant seat as early as Jan. 3.
“So under Florida state law, there’s about an eight-week period to select and fill a vacancy, and so by doing so today, that allows me — I’ve already placed a call to Gov. DeSantis in Florida and said, ‘Let’s start the clock,’” Johnson said.
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The speaker continued to say he plans to call Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) “first thing” Thursday to move ahead with replacing Gaetz.
The House ethics investigation into Gaetz notably will now cease, as he is no longer a member of Congress.