Following President-elect Donald Trump’s appointment of Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, democrats and Republicans voiced disapproval. Gaetz has spent the last year under investigation by a congressional ethics committee over allegations that he used illegal drugs, participated in unlawful bribery, and had sex with a minor.
On Thursday, November 21, Gaetz announced via X that he would resign due to the controversy his appointment had evoked. He wrote that his position was “unfairly becoming a distraction” for the Trump administration. His resignation came amid calls from Congress members across the aisle to release the investigation’s findings into Gaetz’s misconduct.
While the report remains sealed, a woman testified in front of the committee alleging that in 2017, she was paid, along with a minor, to have sex with Gaetz at a party. After learning of his Attorney General nomination, Gaetz resigned from Congress, which effectively shut down his investigation.
With Gaetz now voluntarily resigning from all governmental duties, the ethics report will likely disappear, keeping his secrets sealed. This begs the question—what nefarious secret is Gaetz willing to throw his career away to avoid leaking to the public?
Last year, the Department of Justice, which Gaetz would have overseen had he accepted his position as Attorney General, concluded a three-year-long federal sex trafficking investigation with Gaetz at the center. One person, Joel Greenberg, was convicted following the investigation, though he has reportedly cooperated with prosecutors and recently shared information that could be incriminating for Gaetz.
Greenberg also testified that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old at one of his parties. Prosecutors have been unable to confirm this claim, though the woman who was a minor at the time has also testified in front of Congress. Venmo receipts were also used as evidence in the investigation before Gaetz’s resignation halted it.
He claims that the investigation is a smear campaign propelled by the powerful enemies he made during his time in Congress.
