Shopping cart

Texas News App is your reliable source for real-time updates across Texas, covering Local News, Politics, Business, Sports, and more. With a focus on all 15 Texas regions, we bring the stories that matter most to communities statewide. Stay informed and connected with an app designed to reach Texans wherever they are.

TnewsTnews
  • Home
  • Business & Tech
  • Meet Matt Gaetz, Trump’s controversial pick for US attorney general who withdrew from consideration
Business & Tech

Meet Matt Gaetz, Trump’s controversial pick for US attorney general who withdrew from consideration

Meet Matt Gaetz, Trump’s controversial pick for US attorney general who withdrew from consideration
Email :29
Matt Gaetz
Rep. Matt Gaetz.

  • Matt Gaetz just withdrew from consideration after Donald Trump nominated him for US attorney general.
  • Gaetz has been involved in controversies, including a DOJ sex-trafficking investigation.
  • He led efforts to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and is a longtime Trump loyalist.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrew from consideration for the US attorney general position after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for it.

Gaetz — a polarizing GOP lawmaker and far-right Trump loyalist — has been at the center of several controversies and investigations since his election to Congress in 2016.

Here’s a look at Gaetz’s background, political career, and potential future in the Trump White House.

Representatives for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Matt Gaetz comes from a prominent political family.
Don Gaetz is sworn in as Florida Senate president by his son, Matt Gaetz.
Matt Gaetz swore in his father, Don Gaetz, as Florida Senate president.

Gaetz’s father, Don Gaetz, served in the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016, including a stint as its president from 2012 to 2014. In November, he was reelected to his old seat representing Florida Senate District 1.

Gaetz’s grandfather, Jerry Gaetz, served in the North Dakota Senate and as the mayor of Rugby, North Dakota.

He grew up in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and is a member of the Florida Bar.
A young Matt Gaetz in 2014.
Matt Gaetz as a Florida state representative.

Gaetz earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences from Florida State University and his law degree from William & Mary Law School.

Gaetz represented Florida’s 4th district in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016.

He is married to Ginger Luckey, a Harvard Business School graduate who works in accounting.
Ginger Luckey and Matt Gaetz on Capitol Hill.
Ginger Luckey and Matt Gaetz on Capitol Hill.

Gaetz and Luckey met at Mar-a-Lago in 2020 and wed a year later.

Her brother, Palmer Luckey, founded the virtual reality company Oculus and is a billionaire Republican donor.

As a member of Congress, Gaetz became known for attention-seeking stunts on the House floor.
Matt Gaetz speaks to members of the press outside the US Capitol.
Matt Gaetz with members of the press outside the US Capitol.

Gaetz was elected to represent Florida’s 1st district in the House of Representatives in 2016.

A month after becoming a member of Congress in 2017, Gaetz introduced a bill to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency.

In 2018, he invited Charles C. Johnson, an alt-right figure who has denied the Holocaust, to the State of the Union. Gaetz told The Daily Beast that he gave Johnson a ticket after he “showed up at my office” on the day of the speech but that the two did not know each other.

In 2019, he barged into a deposition of a former National Security Council official connected to Trump’s impeachment inquiry. A meeting transcript showed that Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff swiftly kicked him out of the room, telling the lawmaker, “Mr. Gaetz, take your statement to the press. They do you no good here. So please, absent yourself.”

During a 2020 vote to approve $8.3 billion in emergency funding for coronavirus aid, Gaetz wore a gas mask on the House floor.

In 2021, he went on an “America First” tour with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in which the two lawmakers repeated Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was “stolen.”

Gaetz is also known for insulting his Democratic and Republican colleagues alike, calling Sen. Mitch McConnell “McFailure,” deriding Utah Senator-elect John Curtis as “Mitt Romney without good hair,” and calling abortion rights activists “ugly” and “overweight.”

He was investigated by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee regarding allegations of sexual misconduct.
Rep. Matt Gaetz at a hearing on Capitol Hill in April.
Matt Gaetz was investigated for sexual misconduct in 2021.

In April 2021, The New York Times reported that the Justice Department was investigating whether Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him using campaign funds, which would violate federal sex-trafficking laws.

The House Ethics Committee then announced that it would launch its own investigation into Gaetz’s conduct. Gaetz denied the allegations.

In February 2023, the Justice Department ended its sex-trafficking investigation without bringing criminal charges against Gaetz, prompting the House Ethics Committee to reopen its own inquiry.

Gaetz successfully led efforts to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House in 2023.
Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy speak on the House floor.
Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy in the House Chamber.

When Republicans retook control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterms, McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House in a tumultuous process that lasted several days and nearly came to blows on the House floor.

McCarthy made concessions to secure votes from Gaetz and other far-right GOP lawmakers, including allowing any House member to file a “motion to vacate” the House Speaker role.

Dissatisfied with McCarthy’s leadership, Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate against him months later. The House voted McCarthy out in October 2023.

McCarthy appeared to reference Gaetz while speaking at Georgetown University in April, saying that he lost his job as House Speaker because “one person wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old,” Politico reported. In response, Gaetz called McCarthy a “liar.”

After winning the 2024 election, Trump nominated Gaetz, a longtime loyalist, for US attorney general.
Matt Gaetz wearing a red MAGA hat.
Matt Gaetz has stood by Donald Trump.

“Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime and upholding our Democracy and Constitution,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing Gaetz’s nomination.

The appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, would have put Gaetz in charge of the Department of Justice, the same organizational body that once investigated sex-trafficking allegations against him.

While Republicans have a majority in the Senate, some Republican lawmakers expressed skepticism about Gaetz’s chances of being confirmed.

Lisa Murkowski of Arkansas told MSNBC that she didn’t think Gaetz was “a serious nomination for the attorney general.”

GOP Rep. Max Miller told CNN, “I don’t think Matt cares if he gets confirmed or not. Everybody’s talking about him, and that’s what he likes the most.”

Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives the day his Cabinet nomination was announced.
Matt Gaetz at Mar-a-Lago.
Matt Gaetz at Mar-a-Lago after Election Day.

Gaetz resigned two days before the House Ethics Committee was scheduled to vote on releasing the report from its investigation. His replacement in Congress will be chosen through a special election.

Although the House Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over former members and did not reach an agreement in that meeting, it could still vote to release the report.

Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for attorney general, saying that his nomination was “unfairly becoming a distraction.”
Matt Gaetz and JD Vance on Capitol Hill.
Matt Gaetz and JD Vance.

In a post announcing his withdrawal on X, Gaetz wrote, “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.”

Trump echoed Gaetz’s reasoning in a post on Truth Social, writing that Gaetz “was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect.”

Trump’s post continued: “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

Read the original article on Business Insider



This article was originally published by Talia Lakritz at All Content from Business Insider – Read this article and more at (https://www.businessinsider.com/matt-gaetz).

General Content Disclaimer



The content on this website, including articles generated by artificial intelligence or syndicated from third-party sources, is provided for informational purposes only. We do not own the rights to all images and have not independently verified the accuracy of all information presented. Opinions expressed are those of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect our views. Reader discretion is advised, as some content may contain sensitive, controversial, or unverified information. We are not responsible for user-generated content, technical issues, or the accuracy of external links. Some content may be sponsored or contain affiliate links, which will be identified accordingly. By using this website, you agree to our privacy policy. For concerns, including copyright infringement (DMCA) notices, contact us at info@texasnews.app.

Comments are closed

Related Posts

0
YOUR CART
  • No products in the cart.