Within the span of eight days, former Rep. Matt Gaetz went from a reelected Home member to an legal professional basic choose in President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration to finally bowing out earlier than a Senate affirmation.
Here’s a timeline of the curler coaster of occasions for the embattled ex-congressman.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be legal professional basic, former Rep. Matt Gaetz takes a break from personal conferences with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, on the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 20, 2024.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Nov. 13, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump broadcasts that Gaetz, who had received reelection for Florida’s 1st district on Election Day, was his nominee for legal professional basic.
Gaetz resigns from Congress that day, in line with Home Speaker Mike Johnson.
A number of Home Republicans assembly behind closed doorways mentioned there was an audible gasp within the room after they heard Trump had picked Gaetz, sources advised ABC Information.
Gaetz was investigated for alleged intercourse trafficking by the Justice Division, nonetheless, no fees had been finally introduced.
The Home Ethics Committee has additionally been probing Gaetz on these allegations, which he has repeatedly denied.
Nov. 14, 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis broadcasts he’ll maintain a particular election to fill the Gaetz’s seat however would not instantly present particulars.
Sen. John Thune, the incoming Senate majority chief, tells reporters he would not know if Gaetz can get confirmed till they begin the affirmation course of.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be legal professional basic, former Rep. Matt Gaetz closes a door to a non-public assembly with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, on the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 20, 2024.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senators on either side of the aisle name for the discharge of particulars from the Ethics Committee’s investigation into the previous congressman.
ABC Information stories the lady who was on the middle of the Justice Division investigation into intercourse trafficking allegations surrounding Gaetz testified to the Home Ethics Committee that the previous congressman had intercourse together with her when she was 17 years previous.
Nov. 15, 2024
Johnson tells reporters that he would urge the Ethics Committee to not launch their report on their probe into Gaetz.
The speaker says he didn’t assume it was “related” for the general public to know what’s within the report.
An legal professional representing two girls who had been witnesses within the Home Ethics Committee’s investigation tells ABC Information certainly one of his shoppers testified that she witnessed the Florida congressman having intercourse with a minor.
Nov. 18, 2024
In an interview with ABC Information’ Juju Chang, Florida legal professional Joel Leppard reveals new particulars concerning his shoppers’ closed-door testimony earlier than the Ethics Committee — together with that his shoppers advised congressional investigators that Gaetz allegedly paid for them to journey throughout state strains to have intercourse on no less than two events.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Legal professional Normal walks alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance as they arrive for conferences with Senators on the U.S. Capitol, Nov. 20, 2024, in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Pictures
Nov. 19, 2024
Trump backer and Tesla/SpaceX/X CEO Elon Musk backs Gaetz regardless of extra tales about his scandals coming to mild. Musk mentioned the scandals had been “value lower than nothing” and referred to as the previous congressman “our Hammer of Justice,” in a publish on X.
Johnson denied that he mentioned the main points of the draft ethics report on the Gaetz matter with Home Ethics Chairman Michael Visitor, and additional denied that Trump or Gaetz pressured him to bury the report.
A hacker gained entry to an internet safe document-sharing file between attorneys concerned in a civil lawsuit introduced by an in depth pal to Gaetz, and probably revealed paperwork, together with unredacted depositions from key witnesses within the case, sources acquainted with the matter advised ABC Information.
Throughout a Area X launch, Trump tells reporters he isn’t reconsidering his choose for legal professional basic.
ABC Information stories the Ethics Committee obtained data, together with a verify and data of Venmo funds, that seem to point out that Gaetz paid greater than $10,000 to 2 girls who had been later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes carried out by each the Home and the Justice Division, in line with paperwork.
Nov. 20, 2024
Gaetz meets with Republican senators ,who push for his nomination course of to proceed.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee write to FBI Director Christopher Wray to request the entire evidentiary file within the bureau’s closed investigation into Gaetz.
The Ethics Committee voted in opposition to releasing the report after a number of rounds of votes, with all Republicans on the committee voting in opposition to its launch, throughout a closed-door, two-hour assembly. The committee schedules one other assembly in December. Two Democrats introduce privileged resolutions to make the report public.
The signal for the Home Committee on Ethics is seen outdoors of their workplace within the Longworth Home Workplace Constructing, Nov. 20, 2024, in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Pictures
Nov. 21, 2024
Johnson says mentioned the Home will take up the privileged decision to power the discharge of the Gaetz report after Thanksgiving break.
Gaetz broadcasts on X that he’s withdrawing his identify from the nomination course of.
“Whereas the momentum was robust, it’s clear that my affirmation was unfairly turning into a distraction to the important work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” he mentioned within the publish.
Illinois Democratic Rep. Sean Casten means that he plans to nonetheless transfer ahead with forcing the Home to vote on compelling the Ethics Committee to launch the Gaetz report.
