The Florida Republican’s abrupt departure effectively halts a House investigation into allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

The House Ethics Committee was due to meet this week to vote on releasing a report about Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress on Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate the Florida congressman to serve as attorney general,

The committee has been investigating allegations that Mr. Gaetz, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for attorney general, engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) urged the House Ethics Committee to “preserve and share” its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) after President-elect Trump tapped the Florida congressman to serve as attorney general.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Gaetz’s resignation was “effective immediately” and caught fellow Republicans “by surprise a little bit.”

Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News reported that the Ethics Committee was set to vote on releasing a “highly damaging” reporter on the lawmaker. With Gaetz out of Congress, the committee has now lost its investigatory jurisdiction over him.

The committee has been investigating allegations that Mr. Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

The Florida congressman would be the first U.S. attorney general in four decades who never worked as a government attorney or judge.

Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks on Day 3 of the Republican National Convention (RNC), at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 17, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo By Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N.

Fla., has resigned from Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Wednesday, the same day President-elect Donald Trump tapped the Florida lawmaker to serve as his attorney general. Johnson said Gaetz's resignation is "effective immediately.