The former Florida congressman has been at the center of a long-running ethics probe.
With his second inauguration underway, President-elect Donald Trump has been busy building his cabinet, but out of all his picks, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz appears to be stirring the most controversy.
Gaetz has been the subject of a long-running investigation by a congressional ethics panel over claims involving drugs, bribes, and sex with an underage girl. Though Gaetz maintains that this probe is all part of a “smear campaign,” these claims could potentially threaten his looming Senate confirmation.
Anonymous sources close to the situation have said an “unknown and unauthorized third party” gained access to a computer file containing damaging depositions about the ex-lawmaker, according to CBS News. On top of that, a lawyer has publicly revealed that two of his clients, who testified before the House Ethics Committee, were paid by Gaetz to have sex with him.
Still, the president-elect’s nomination of Gaetz and other devout Trump loyalists sends a clear message that he plans to shake up the establishment. So here are some things to know about Gaetz.
Is Matt Gaetz a lawyer?
Gaetz earned a degree from William & Mary Law School in 2007 before working at a firm in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. (He still has a law license, though it was briefly suspended at one point due to unpaid fees.)
He first jumped into politics in 2017, when he ran for Congress to represent Florida’s 1st Congressional District and won. He was reelected four years later before his abrupt resignation following his AG nomination.
During his seven-year tenure, the former congressman quickly gained a reputation as a divisive figure even within his own party. He is perhaps best known for spearheading the unprecedented revolt against fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. (McCarthy has claimed that Gaetz only wanted him gone to squash an ethics complaint, but more about that later.)
Gaetz is known for some other eyebrow-raising antics as well. For instance, in 2018, he was condemned for bringing a Holocaust denier to the State of the Union address, and he then tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.
Relationship to Trump
Throughout his political career, Gaetz has remained unwaveringly loyal to Trump, often defending the president-elect on cable news and social media.
Gaetz traveled to New York earlier this year to support Trump during his hush money trial and shared a picture echoing the extremist Proud Boys: “Standing back, and standing by, Mr. President.” And it’s clear he has an ear to the president-elect as part of his inner circle. He was among those who helped Trump prepare for his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
The ex-congressman has echoed Trump’s frequent claims that the justice system has unfairly targeted him. If confirmed as AG, Gaetz has vowed to abolish government agencies that have led investigations into Trump, including the FBI.
Matt Gaetz’s accusations and ethics report
Like Trump, the former Florida lawmaker has certainly had legal issues of his own. Starting in 2021, the House Ethics Committee started investigating Gaetz over various allegations, including that he had sex with an underage girl, used illicit drugs, accepted bribes, and misused campaign funds.
Gaetz was also part of a separate three-year federal sex-trafficking probe last year. Though the Justice Department decided not to bring charges against him, his one-time friend Joel Greenberg was charged in the case and is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.
Of course, Gaetz has categorically denied all of the allegations and instead blamed the accusations on his longtime nemesis, McCarthy, even though the investigations began before Republicans took the majority of the House.
But his departure from Congress has effectively put an end to any probes against him because he’s no longer under the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction, so they can’t punish him. This means the panel’s report is also in limbo. But some damning details have already been released: Florida attorney Joel Leppard says two of the women he represents were among a group who Gaetz paid for sex. Leppard said his clients attended between five to 10 “sex parties” with the ex-congressman between 2017 and 2018. One of them also witnessed him sleeping with a 17-year-old at a house party in Florida.
Will Gaetz be confirmed as attorney general?
That question remains up in the air. Gaetz’s nomination will be decided by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will vote on whether to send it to the whole Senate. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already stated that he’ll leave it to the panel to determine what information they need to vet, including whether or not that includes the Ethics Committee report.
Some leading Republicans, like Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, think the ethics report should be part of Gaetz’s confirmation process. Still, others believe they’ll get the information on him with (or without) it. Texas Sen. John Cornyn told ABC News that he didn’t think its release is necessary because lawmakers know “roughly who the witnesses are” who could be called to testify.
Regardless of the confirmation process, Gaetz’s road to becoming AG could be a rocky one. “He does have an uphill climb,” said Sen. Joni Ernst.
In the meantime, the search for Gaetz’s replacement in Congress is already underway. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a special election to be scheduled as soon as possible to fill the former Florida lawmaker’s seat.
Matt Gaetz’s wife
Gaetz married his girlfriend, Ginger Luckey, in 2021. This is right around the time when the Republican started being investigated as part of a probe into an alleged sex trafficking ring and in an ongoing probe into an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Luckey said she met the conservative congressman after her mother “dragged” her to an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. She went on to become his “travel buddy” during the coronavirus pandemic, and it appears she has been at his side ever since.
Luckey is not involved in politics — in fact, far from it. The 27-year-old food scientist from Southern California works for a company that focuses on extending the life of products made from plant-based materials.
But like her husband, her family is supportive of Trump. Her older brother Palmer Luckey, a notable start-up founder, held a fundraiser for the president-elect and has donated to the Republican Party, according to Open Secrets, a campaign-finance watchdog group.
