The discharge of a Home ethics report that alleges former Rep. Matt Gaetz had intercourse with a minor makes his return to elected workplace extra precarious — but a number of allies of President-elect Donald Trump urged him to remain within the recreation.
“Gaetz has to return again,” Steve Bannon, the onetime Trump adviser, mentioned Monday on his “Struggle Room” podcast. “Gaetz should return like Trump returned. Don’t again down — double down.”
The Republican ex-representative has denied the allegations within the 37-page ethics report that embody accusations of unlawful drug use and soliciting prostitutes. A Division of Justice investigation into his conduct yielded no fees.
Gaetz was compelled to drop out of the affirmation course of to be the subsequent legal professional normal below Trump — partially as a consequence of issues from senators over the ethics report. He had already resigned from Congress shortly after Trump introduced him because the choose.
In current weeks Gaetz has floated operating for governor of Florida, Senate or returning to the Home. Supporters like state Sen. Joe Gruters, whom the president-elect endorsed for Republican Nationwide Committee treasurer over the weekend, insisted he might nonetheless ponder a return to public workplace.
“Matt Gaetz was totally cleared by a extremely partisan DOJ, and the discharge of this report serves no function aside from to try to break his fame by these with private or political grievances in opposition to him,” Gruters mentioned. “The general public can see via these ways, and Matt Gaetz continues to have a vivid future in elected workplace or every other path he chooses to pursue.”
Requested about Gaetz’s political future, Florida-based Republican political operative Jamie Miller additionally raised the absence of DOJ fees and mentioned that the newly launched report put the matter within the “courtroom of public opinion.”
“There does not appear to be new data on this report that hasn’t been beforehand leaked,” he mentioned. “The query turns into, does the general public consider that these have been youthful transgressions or do they see them as character flaws?”
A consultant for the Trump transition didn’t instantly reply to questions over whether or not Gaetz is perhaps thought of for an additional position within the incoming administration.
Gaetz has a job lined up starting in January, when he’ll be anchoring his personal primetime present on the conservative One America Information Community. Outstanding trial legal professional John Morgan additionally informed POLITICO that he and Gaetz have been discussing the potential for him becoming a member of his agency, Morgan & Morgan.
Morgan was untroubled by the ethics report. He mentioned he didn’t know if the allegations of unlawful drug use have been true, however argued that “many individuals” have used medicine. He additionally mentioned Gaetz would have been prosecuted if the allegations of intercourse with a minor have been true.
“If we begin making folks responsible based mostly on rumors and vendetta then we aren’t who we’re speculated to be,” mentioned Morgan, who’s pals with Gaetz however has given generously to Democratic campaigns over time.
Gaetz might nonetheless grow to be governor of Florida if he have been to run when Gov. Ron DeSantis is termed out of workplace in 2026, provided that he might win a plurality of voters throughout a Republican main, Morgan added.
Gaetz by no means confronted a troublesome election in his ruby-red district, although after he led the push for ousting Kevin McCarthy as Home speaker, the California Republican tried to wage a revenge marketing campaign by unsuccessfully backing a GOP challenger within the 2024 election cycle.
One Florida-based Republican lobbyist, who was granted anonymity to talk candidly, mentioned the truth that Gaetz had dropped out of the operating for legal professional normal was worse for his political prospects than the ethics report launch, provided that Gaetz might forged the latter as a McCarthy-establishment transfer. However Trump had not proven a willingness to struggle for Gaetz to be confirmed as legal professional normal.
The particular person refused to rule out the chance that Gaetz’s political future was over, citing Trump’s skill to beat indictments, convictions and impeachments.
“Within the age of populism something is feasible,” the particular person mentioned.
David Custin, a Republican political marketing campaign advisor who counts Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez amongst his shoppers, agreed that Gaetz might nonetheless return to elected workplace.
“If the previous decade in Florida and USA politics have taught us something, it’s that you may’t merely dismiss somebody’s political future based mostly on accusations of wrongdoing,” he mentioned. “Rep. Gaetz is harmless till confirmed responsible. His excessive IQ, political strengths and expertise imply that his political future is not restricted.”
Gaetz floated coming again to Congress for a restricted time, in gentle of the truth that the particular election for his alternative is about for April 1. He said on X final week that he was contemplating going to Congress to be sworn in with the brand new Home then file a privileged movement to “expose each ‘me too’ settlement paid utilizing public funds” of former and present members. Afterward, he would resign and head to OAN.
All through the day on Monday, Gaetz posted on X what gave the impression to be transcribed interviews with witnesses, calling totally different allegations into query together with that monetary items to girls might be characterised as prostitution.
“There’s a motive they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and never in a courtroom of any variety the place I might current proof and problem witnesses,” he wrote.
Talking at Turning Level’s AmericaFest in Phoenix on Sunday, Gaetz was coy about his future in politics, after acknowledging that there was “writing on the wall” surrounding his legal professional normal nomination that “would trigger a delay of the necessary work that we see forward.”
“Floridians have requested me to eye the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, perhaps particular counsel to go after the insider buying and selling for my former colleagues in Congress,” Gaetz mentioned. “It appears I could not have had sufficient help in the USA Senate, perhaps I am going to simply run for Marco Rubio’s vacant seat in the USA Senate and be a part of a few of these people.”
“However for the second, I am going to get pleasure from being one in all you,” Gaetz informed the gang.
Rubio’s seat will open up for an election in 2026 provided that the senator is predicted to be confirmed as secretary of state. Beginning early subsequent 12 months, nonetheless, DeSantis will appoint somebody to fill the seat within the meantime and that particular person might subsequently run for the seat as an incumbent.
No candidates have but introduced a Florida gubernatorial run for the 2026 contest. Trump hasn’t weighed into the forthcoming race, however his endorsement would possible carry important weight, simply because it did when he backed DeSantis throughout the 2018 Republican main.
A number of Florida Democrats have made it no secret that they hope Gaetz is the 2026 gubernatorial nominee in order that they will have a shot at elected workplace in a once-battleground state that has swung closely to Republicans and Trump within the final couple of election cycles.
“The findings from the Home Ethics Committee report affirm that Matt Gaetz belongs nowhere close to the halls of Congress or in every other elected workplace,” mentioned Florida Democratic Get together Chair Nikki Fried, who was once pals with Gaetz a number of years in the past when she was a marijuana lobbyist. “The reality all the time comes out ultimately.”
Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.
