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Trump’s former Attorney General nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, has threatened to rejoin Congress and expose lawmakers who paid #MeToo sexual harassment lawsuits using taxpayers’ money, then resign.
Gaetz’s decision was prompted by the House Ethics Panel reversing its previous decision not to release his “damaging” ethics report after he withdrew his name for consideration for the AG position. Trump nominated Pam Bondi to replace him.
Gaetz explained that his previous resignation only affected his election to the 118th Congress. This allows him to join the 119th Congress, get sworn in, participate in selecting the Speaker, and expose the taxpayer-funded #MeToo settlements. The former Trump AG pick would then resign during his OANN show on January 6, 2025.
During Trump’s first term, Gaetz had also threatened to expose members of Congress who used taxpayers’ money to settle #MeToo lawsuits but never followed through.
Meanwhile, rumor has it that sexual harassment is rampant in Congress, with female lawmakers maintaining a “creep list” of notorious offenders. According to Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), taxpayers have lost over $15 million in secret sexual harassment lawsuit settlements. The Congressional Office of Compliance also maintains a list of settlements by year going back as far back as the 1990s. However, nothing has ever been done to publish the report.
During his resignation, Gaetz said releasing the report so close to his confirmation hearings would cause unnecessary drama and distract Americans from Trump’s America First agenda. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz said during his resignation.
Meanwhile, Gaetz has not disclosed the reasons for his planned resignation after rejoining Congress and releasing the damning #MeToo payment report.
Gaetz’s withdrawal from AG consideration stemmed from allegations that the Floridian lawmaker was involved in sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, used illicit drugs, and received improper gifts. Gaetz has denied those accusations.
The DOJ also investigated Gaetz and his friend and associate Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to six charges. Greenberg’s plea deal also required him to cooperate with the DOJ in investigating the Floridian lawmaker. However, the DOJ subsequently closed the investigation without filing any charges.
While the release of Gaetz’s report was politicized due to his then-planned confirmation hearings, the public deserves to know the names of lawmakers who waste taxpayers’ money to silence victims.
Meanwhile, the Floridian lawmaker is hardly the first to threaten to release the sexual harassment report. While the House Ethics Panel deliberated on releasing Gaetz’s report, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) dared her Republican counterparts to make the report’s contents public.
“For my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate, if we are going to release ethics reports and rip apart our own that Trump has appointed, then put it ALL out there for the American people to see,” Rep. Green X’ed. “Yes.. all the ethics reports and claims, including the one I filed.”
As of now, American voters can only guess the report’s contents, but judging from the lawmakers’ reaction, it must be a big deal.