MATT GAETZ’S NEXT MOVE. Not all that long ago, on Oct. 3, 2023, then-Rep. Matt Gaetz succeeded in his audacious plan to lead a tiny group of Republicans, eight in all, working in an alliance with 208 Democrats, to topple Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Today, one year and two months later, Gaetz is out of Congress, out of a job, and has reportedly signed with a small television news outlet, One America News Network, to host a prime-time program.
At age 42, Gaetz will certainly have more acts in his life. But it seems safe to say his effort to bring down the Republican Party in the House did not end well. When President-elect Donald Trump stunned many observers by nominating Gaetz to be attorney general, Gaetz’s past of attacking and undermining his own party came back at him fast — and that was before discussion of a long House Ethics Committee investigation concerning allegations that Gaetz, in the words of a New York Post report, “had engaged in sex with a minor, used illicit drugs and taken bribes, among other alleged crimes.” To say Gaetz was the wrong man to be attorney general of the United States would be a wild understatement, and the nomination proved a bridge too far, even for some Republicans who are eager to support all of Trump’s nominees.
By the way, there was another effort this week to make the Ethics Committee’s investigative report public. It failed because Republicans stopped it. But all those Democrats who allied with Gaetz a year ago to bring down McCarthy turned around and voted to release the report. They were happy to make common cause with Gaetz to harm the House GOP. Now, they’re happy to kick Gaetz even after he is out the door. Perhaps he should have picked his associates more wisely.
Still, Gaetz did not have to leave the House. It was his own choice, and it instantly raised suspicions. Trump announced the attorney general nomination on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 13. That very afternoon, Gaetz resigned from the House. Why? Other nominees for administration posts who are currently serving in the House, such as Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL), are preparing for new jobs but have not yet left the House, where their votes are still needed by a Republican Party with a very narrow majority. But Gaetz quit immediately.
The consensus view is that Gaetz, who easily won reelection in his Florida district in November, was trying to stay ahead of the Ethics Committee report. If he were no longer a House member, the investigation would stop, and he would have a reasonable argument that, because he is a former House member, the report should not be released, even though there is some precedent for releasing a report on a member after the member left the House. In any event, Gaetz quit the House immediately. He would either become attorney general or have to look for something else.
Eight days after he was nominated, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. He did so after a conversation with Trump, who knew that Gaetz did not have the votes in the Senate for confirmation. Gaetz then hinted that something new was coming, and that something turned out to be the One America News Network position. Some of his fellow House members always thought that more than anything, Gaetz wanted to be on television, so now that will be his job.
Just to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with leaving Congress. Many members, especially the younger ones, question whether it’s worth staying in the House for a career. It can be frustrating work for people who want to get things done. Also, depending on where one lives, there can be exhausting travel involved. And members of the House are always running for reelection. Always. Some members see themselves serving a few terms, hopefully achieving something, and leaving.
But there is leaving Congress, and there is leaving Congress one step ahead of the consequences of your own destructive conduct. The latter is a pretty good description of what Matt Gaetz did. Now, he’s on to something else, where, hopefully, he will not do as much damage to his own side as he did in the House of Representatives.