Matt Gaetz steps down from Congress in wake of AG nomination

The post-election period has been marked by one blockbuster development after another, a fact evidenced by the recent resignation of a prominent GOP congressman tapped for a prime role in the incoming administration.

Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, resigned his House seat on Wednesday, shortly after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to serve as attorney general, as The Hill reports.

Gaetz leaves the House

Long known as a conservative firebrand in the lower chamber, Gaetz was a surprise choice to become Trump's AG, but he clearly relished the opportunity, wasting little time before stepping down from his congressional role.

The move was described by House Speaker Mike Johnson as one designed to facilitate the swift filling of the vacancy so as to mitigate what is likely to be a slim GOP majority come January.

However, it did not take long before observers began to underscore the fact that Gaetz's resignation could have the added effect of preventing the release of a House Ethics Committee report detailing findings from an investigation into the former lawmaker.

It is customary for such probes to be effectively dropped for lack of jurisdiction once their subject is no longer a member of Congress, though critics suggest that the details of any report should be made available to those in the Senate responsible for participating in the confirmation process.

Though rare, precedent does exist for an Ethics Committee investigation report to be released even after its subject has resigned from Congress, with the last such instance occurring in 1987 with regard to former Rep. William Boner of Tennessee.

Johnson opposes report's release

With Gaetz's nomination and confirmation prospects still open questions, Johnson on Sunday expressed his staunch opposition to the release of the Ethics Committee report, as Fox News explained.

Johnson was asked whether he was aware that the report dealt with sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, and he replied, “I don't know anything about the contents of the report because the way the rules work, of course, the speaker of the House can't put a thumb on the scale or be involved in an Ethics Committee report.”

He continued, “There's a very important reason for the tradition and the rule that we always have -- almost always followed -- and that is that we don't issue investigations and ethics reports on people who are not member so Congress.”

“I'm afraid that would open a Pandora's box because the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee is limited to those who are serving in the institution,” Johnson maintained. “That's it's very purpose. And I think this would be a breach of protocol that could be dangerous for us going forward in the future.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), however, has said that the “absolutely” wants access to the Ethics Commitee report as part of confirmation process responsibilities, but whether his preference will win out over Johnson's, only time will tell.