Have we really heard the last of Matt Gaetz?
There are few people I despise more than Matt Gaetz. Child rapist, liar, drunk driver, misogynist, racist, sexual harasser, this loud-mouthed, radical, right-wing lunatic is all the despicable things Republicans falsely accuse Democrats of being, a thoroughly vile and unsavoury character. In short, Gaetz is the very flower of the MAGA infestation of Congress.
While I welcomed Gaetz’ resignation from Congress, just ahead of the House Ethics Committee’s release of the report on Gaetz for sex-trafficking, I was dismayed that Donald Trump nominated Gaetz for Attorney General of the United States, a position for which Gaetz is almost uniquely unsuited. I was pleased to learn late yesterday that Gaetz had removed his name from consideration for that post, sparing the nation from replacing John Mitchell as the worst Attorney General in American history. At last, I thought, we are rid of the bastard once and for all. Right?
Not so fast. I regret to inform you, brothers and sisters, that there are at least two ways in which Matt Gaetz can, like the proverbial bad penny, keep turning up. One way is he can still become a late Trump appointee for some other post. One such post would be White House Counsel, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
The other way is he can still, technically, return to Congress. In his letter of resignation to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gaetz reportedly wrote that he did “not intend to” take the oath of office in the new Congress. In other words, he resigned from the 118th Congress, not the 119th. He can still show up on January 3rd next year and take the oath of office for the seat for which he was duly re-elected to Florida’s first district.
Meanwhile, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who personally despises Gaetz, won’t appoint Gaetz to complete the final four years of Marco Rubio’s recently vacated Senate seat. Besides, DeSantis is too busy mounting a special election to find a Republican replacement for Gaetz’ Congressional seat.
That election won’t happen in time, and Gaetz can still extend a middle finger to DeSantis merely by showing up on January 3rd and being sworn in. One disincentive for his doing so is that it will almost certainly mean the House Ethics Committee will release their report to the public. Of course, they might do that anyway. In any case, the end result could mean Gaetz could possibly receive censure by the House — if he comes back. While humiliating, censure does not end in removal.
Gaetz is quite unpopular with many Republican members of the House. He is especially hated for offering a motion to vacate Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. So he’s not going to be received back with universally open arms. With any luck, we’ll never see him again. And these days we could use a bit of luck.
Robert Harrington is an American expat living in Britain. He is a portrait painter.