Representative Matt Gaetz, the hard-right Republican provocateur, resigned from Congress on Wednesday after being tapped by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be the attorney general, effectively ending a House investigation into allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
Even as Republicans on both sides of the Capitol expressed shock at Mr. Gaetz’s selection and skepticism about whether he could be confirmed, his rapid exit brought to a close an inquiry that has hung over his head for years.
Mr. Gaetz, who led the successful effort last fall to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, is one of the most reviled members of his conference. For two years, the Justice Department looked into allegations that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and possibly violated federal sex trafficking laws. The department closed its investigation last year without filing any charges against Mr. Gaetz.
Still, the House Ethics Committee opened an inquiry in 2021 into the sexual misconduct allegations along with claims that Mr. Gaetz misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, accepted impermissible gifts under House rules, and shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, among other transgressions.
With his departure from Congress, the committee no longer has jurisdiction to investigate Mr. Gaetz. It was not immediately clear whether it would still release its findings. Tom Rust, the chief counsel and staff director for the panel, declined to comment.
Mr. Gaetz has tried to turn the allegations against him into a badge of honor. “I am the most investigated man in the United States Congress,” Mr. Gaetz said of the ethics inquiry when it began, insinuating that the inquiry was merely punishment for undermining Mr. McCarthy’s leadership.
Mr. Gaetz’s resignation complicates the math for House Republicans who are on the brink of winning control of the chamber. As of Wednesday night, 217 races had been called for Republicans, placing them tantalizingly close to the 218 needed for the majority. But with Mr. Gaetz departing, they will be down one seat from the start. They are already on track to have a tiny margin of control.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, announced Mr. Gaetz’s resignation at a news conference Wednesday night after House Republicans chose their leaders for the next Congress. Mr. Johnson said he had called Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to start the process for scheduling a special election to fill the seat.
Mr. Trump told Mr. Johnson of his decision to tap Mr. Gaetz earlier in the day, shortly before he took the stage to briefly address and congratulate the Republican conference. In those remarks, Mr. Trump joked about poaching more House G.O.P. members for his administration.
“I have begged and pleaded with the new president, ‘Enough already, OK?’” Mr. Johnson told reporters. “Because our numbers are small.”
Earlier in the day, some of Mr. Gaetz’s colleagues made no secret of their joy to see him depart.
“Most people in there are giddy about it. Get him out of here,” said Representative Max Miller, Republican of Ohio, speaking about his G.O.P. colleagues who were gathered to vote in leadership elections. He said Mr. Trump had plenty of other good options for nominees, but probably went with Mr. Gaetz to reward his loyalty.
Before Mr. Gaetz’s resignation was publicly announced, Mr. Miller suggested that if the Senate hearings unearthed new and convincing evidence that the misconduct allegations against Mr. Gaetz were true, his colleagues could expel him, as they did Representative George Santos late last year.
Mr. Miller said he and other House Republicans were shocked that Mr. Gaetz had agreed to participate in the Senate confirmation hearings, which involve rigorous and invasive background checks.
“I’m surprised that Matt would do this to himself,” Mr. Miller said. “I want to go get a big bag of popcorn and pull up a front-row seat to that show.”
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