Before President-elect Donald Trump tapped Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general this week, the former Florida congressman made headlines last fall for leading the ouster of GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: a first in US history. On Wednesday, Gaetz resigned from his House seat, two days before the House Ethics Committee was to release a report related to allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use against him.
Yet amid all the chaos that he’s caused in the House and the current news cycle, it’s important to remember that until recently, Gaetz was vigorously resisting allegations that he’d had sex with a minor—to say nothing of dealing with various other ethics issues. Below, find a timeline of the accusations against Gaetz, a closer look at his involvement in McCarthy’s ouster—and what his prospects for being part of Trump’s cabinet look like from here.
What was Gaetz accused of?
Federal prosecutors spent years investigating allegations that Gaetz had been part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz would have faced charges including sex with a minor and transportation of his alleged victim across state lines to engage in prostitution, but in February of last year, the Justice Department announced that it would not charge Gaetz. (Joel Greenberg, on the other hand—a former ally of Gaetz’s who in 2021 pleaded guilty to charges including sex trafficking of a minor, identity theft, stalking, and wire fraud—was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2022.)
How did Gaetz respond to the allegations?
“We have just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they have concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and they have determined not to bring any charges against him,” Gaetz’s lawyers said in a statement in February 2023, with Gaetz repeatedly denying any wrongdoing.
What other ethics issues has Gaetz faced?
For two years, Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that he “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted impermissible gifts under House rules,” among other misdeeds, according to The New York Times. The probe was ongoing when Gaetz left his congressional post on Wednesday, with the committee preparing to release a report on sexual misconduct and drug allegations against Gaetz; Gaetz will no longer be subject to the probe following his resignation.
How was Gaetz involved in the ousting of McCarthy as House Speaker?
Gaetz and McCarthy frequently found themselves at odds over the course of their political careers, but those tensions came to a head when Gaetz filed a motion to remove McCarthy as speaker in October 2023. “I have enough Republicans where at this point next week, one of two things will happen: Kevin McCarthy won’t be the Speaker of the House, or he’ll be the Speaker of the House working at the pleasure of the Democrats,” Gaetz told reporters. Sure enough, the House then voted to remove McCarthy from his GOP leadership role.
