Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday night that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz will resign from Congress “immediately” following President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for attorney general.
In response to Truth Social, the former president announced that he would nominate Gates as his attorney general nominee, calling Gates a “talented and tenacious lawyer trained at William & Mary Law School” and a criminal expert. He said he aims to bring it to an end. “Weaponized government.” Prime Minister Johnson confirmed to reporters that he had accepted Gaetz's resignation and highlighted his accomplishments in Congress. (RELATED: 'A disaster for American democracy': Liberals collapse as Trump picks Matt Gaetz as lawyer)
“Anyone who has served with him will tell you he is one of the smartest members of Congress. He is an accomplished attorney,” Johnson said. “He is very concerned about the misconduct that is occurring within the Department of Justice under the Biden administration and the fact that the American people have lost confidence in our judicial institutions because of everything we have seen. “
“He's a reformer in mind and heart, and I think he brings a lot to the table in that regard. I think out of respect for us, he tendered his resignation from Congress, effective immediately,” Johnson said. he added.
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The House speaker also noted that despite the Florida congressman's sudden resignation, it would help speed up the process of filling the vacant House seat and prevent it from impacting the Republican Party's narrow lead.
“That surprised us a little bit, but when we asked him why, he said, 'Well, you can't have too many absences.' So under Florida law, you can't pick an empty seat. “We have about eight weeks to fill it,” Johnson said.
“So by doing that today, I've already called Governor DeSantis of Florida and said, 'Let's start the clock.' He's currently in Italy, so we'll discuss this first thing in the morning. “If we start the clock now, we might be able to fill that seat as early as January 3, when the new parliament is sworn in,” Johnson continued.
house republican the current They have a narrow lead over Democrats, with Republicans holding 217 seats to Democrats' 208, with 10 seats yet to be called.
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