Did Matt Gaetz resign from Congress? What to know after he backs out of Trump's AG role

Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from his nomination to become President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general on Thursday. The announcement has raised questions: What does Gaetz' career look like moving forward, what happens now?

Gaetz announced his withdrawal from the role in an X post on Thursday morning, "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General."

Trump nominated Gaetz to become his attorney general on Nov. 13, one week after winning his re-election campaign, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to respond, sharing his respect for Gaetz' decision: "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!"

More: Here's who Donald Trump could pick for attorney general after Matt Gaetz's flame-out

Dig deeper: Matt Gaetz withdraws his name as Trump's nominee for attorney general

Did Gaetz resign from Congress?

Yes, Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress the same day Trump nominated him to serve as his attorney general.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced the news of Gaetz's resignation during a news conference on Nov. 13, adding that the move was effective immediately.

Could Gaetz get his seat in Congress back?

Yes, in theory, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress, though his political future was uncertain as of Thursday.

On Nov. 5, Gaetz won re-election to the new, 119th Congress, which begins on Jan. 3, 2025. He resigned during the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023 and will cease in January 2025.

Gaetz reportedly wrote in his House resignation letter that he did "not intend to" take the oath of office in the new Congress.

By federal law, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress if he were re-elected during a special election.

According to the Congressional Research Service, a special election to fill a House vacancy must be issued by the corresponding state's governor. In this case, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis must issue the special election. The scheduling procedures for these special elections differ from state to state, but Florida law does not provide a mandatory timeline.

The day after Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress, DeSantis announced on X that he had instructed Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for an upcoming special election. A date had yet to be announced for this election, as of Thursday afternoon.

Gaetz's wife, Ginger, posted a picture of the couple on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, saying, "The end of an era."

Why did Gaetz withdraw his AG nomination?

Gaetz did not cite a specific reason for his withdrawal, but over the past week, controversy of his bid swelled due to allegations of sex trafficking minors.

The Justice Department, which Gaetz would have led if he were attorney general, investigated allegations that Gaetz committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old and for her to travel with him across state lines. The investigation was dropped without charges.

But recently, the House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel made up of Democrats and Republicans, began investigating the allegations. The committee had planned to vote on whether to release a report of its findings two days after Gaetz resigned from his seat on Congress last week.

Who will Trump nominate for AG next?

It is unclear who Trump will nominate for attorney general in Gaetz' place. The president-elect has not made an announcement.

Riley Beggin and C.A. Bridges contributed to this reporting.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Matt Gaetz resign from House? What to know after backing out of AG