Former Representative Matt Gaetz suggested that he could "go after" his "former colleagues in Congress" the day before the House Ethics Committee report came out.
Gaetz made his comments Sunday afternoon at Turning Point USA's "AmericaFest" event in Arizona, according to The Hill.
“My fellow Floridians have asked me to eye the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee, maybe [be appointed as] special counsel to go after the insider trading for my former colleagues in Congress. It seems I may not have had enough support [to be confirmed as Attorney General] in the United States Senate. Maybe I’ll just run for Marco Rubio’s vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks,” Gaetz said.
READ MORE: Gaetz Rages at Secret Vote to Release Ethics Report, Insists He Was ‘Fully Exonerated’
This is not the first time Gaetz has suggested he might retaliate against the House. Last week, he suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that since he was elected to the new Congress—despite resigning the position when incoming President Donald Trump initially named him as his pick for Attorney General—he could participate in the vote for House Speaker.
"Someone suggested the following plan to me: 1. Show up 1/3/2025 to congress 2. Participate in Speaker election (I was elected to the 119th Congress, after all…) 3. Take the oath 4. File a privileged motion to expose every 'me too' settlement paid using public funds (even of former members) 5. Resign and start my @OANN program at 9pm EST on January 6, 2025," he wrote, alongside a "thinking" emoji.
https://twitter.com/FmrRepMattGaetz/status/1869443479052362133
There are reports other Republican representatives are working to make Gaetz' threat a reality, according to Politico. Though Politico did not name which representatives were involved, one potential Gaetz ally is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who backed his threat on X, according to Newsweek.
"If Congress is going to release one ethics report, they should release them all. I want to see the Epstein list. I want to see the details of the slush fund for sexual misconduct by members of Congress and Senators. I want to see it all," she wrote.
The House Ethics Committee report released Monday found that while the claims that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws were unsubstantiated, other accusations against him were supported by evidence. The report says the committee found evidence that Gaetz paid thousands of dollars for sex; violated Florida's statutory rape law; used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana illegally; violated the rule on accepting gifts from lobbyists; gave friends special privileges and favors; and tried to obstruct the committee's investigation.
Gaetz sued in an attempt to block the release of the report, claiming the committee no longer had jurisdiction. Gaetz denied the allegations.
“Once released, the damage to Plaintiff’s reputation and professional standing would be immediate, severe and irreversible, particularly because: a. The Committee’s findings would carry the imprimatur of official Congressional action; b. Media coverage would be immediate and widespread; c. The allegations would permanently remain in the public record,” Gaetz' attorneys wrote in the suit, according to Deadline.
The committee said that a majority of its members had voted that the release of the report was still in the public interest despite Gaetz' resignation from Congress.