GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced, the same day that President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had tapped the Florida firebrand to be his attorney general.
“He issued his resignation letter effective immediately from Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit,” Johnson (R-La.) told reporters during a press conference Wednesday night.
Dozens of GOP lawmakers indicated that leadership had told them about Gaetz’s resignation before Johnson made the announcement. Many were excitedly spreading the news, glad to be rid of the architect of Kevin McCarthy’s speakership ouster. Gaetz didn’t attend the GOP’s hourslong meeting near the Capitol on Wednesday, where Republicans elected their leadership slate.
Johnson said Gaetz had resigned so abruptly because he knew how long it would take to fill the seat if he becomes attorney general.
