Create account

Gone quiet · last update Oct 15, 2026 / Matt Gaetz

Matt Gaetz's withdrawn nomination for attorney general and the House Ethics report

Overview · reviewed October 24, 2026

Matt Gaetz withdrew in November 2024 as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, eight days after being picked, amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.[1] The committee's report, released that December, accused him of paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl.[2]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

The committee's report, released that December, accused him of paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl.[2]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Jan 2022: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJun 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2022: average weekly share 1% (left 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksNov 2022: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2022: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJan 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksFeb 2023: average weekly share 4% (left 1%, center 2%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJun 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksNov 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2023: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJan 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksFeb 2024: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksApr 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksMay 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2024: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksJul 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksAug 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2024: average weekly share 25% (left 8%, center 10%, right 7%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 15% (left 4%, center 7%, right 4%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 3% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 1% (left 1%, center 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 11 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (17 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 12, 20261011627 of 4766%
Mar 31, 2025712726 of 20513%
Mar 24, 20250347 of 1944%
Dec 23, 202423351472 of 19238%
Dec 16, 202412251552 of 22623%
Dec 9, 202424612 of 2086%
Dec 2, 2024614525 of 22811%
Nov 25, 20241258 of 1784%
Nov 18, 2024384635119 of 22553%
Nov 11, 202427392187 of 21141%
Jun 17, 2024713626 of 22212%
Feb 12, 20241304 of 2422%
Feb 13, 2023911828 of 18115%
Nov 28, 202278217 of 1889%
Sep 19, 202243310 of 1845%
Jan 17, 20221135 of 1843%
Jan 10, 202285316 of 2008%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 14, 2026 · first reported · Headline from UPI

    Matt Gaetz accused of sex trafficking in new lawsuit

Background

The allegations grew out of a federal sex-trafficking investigation that followed the arrest of Gaetz's friend Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector.[3] In January 2022, a former girlfriend of Gaetz testified before a federal after being granted immunity.[4][5] Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison that December.[3] Career prosecutors told their superiors they did not think Gaetz should be charged, citing concerns about witness credibility, and in February 2023 the Justice Department said it would not charge him.[6][7]

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

The House Ethics Committee subpoenaed his former girlfriend in 2024 and reviewed allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.[8][9]

The nomination lasted eight days. On November 13, 2024, Trump picked Gaetz for attorney general, and Gaetz resigned from Congress.[10][11] A lawyer for two women said they had testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, and sources told ABC News that one of them testified he had sex with her when she was 17.[12][13] Speaker Mike Johnson urged the committee not to release its report, and its Republicans voted against releasing it for the time being.[14][15] On November 21, Gaetz withdrew, and Trump chose Pam Bondi instead.[1][16]

After the House rejected a Democratic effort to force its release, the committee voted to release it,[17][18] and in December it accused Gaetz of paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl.[2] Gaetz joined One America News as an anchor.[19] In October 2026, two women sued him, accusing him of sex trafficking.[20]

Supporting stories (20)
  1. Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general
  2. House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girl
  3. Former Matt Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg sentenced to 11 years in prison
  4. Representative Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend expected to testify before grand jury in Orlando
  5. Representative Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend granted immunity in sex trafficking probe
  6. Prosecutors will not recommend charging Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking investigation, report says
  7. DOJ won't charge Matt Gaetz with crimes in sex trafficking probe
  8. House Ethic Committee issues subpoena for testimony of Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend
  9. Ethics probe into Matt Gaetz now reviewing allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use
  10. Trump picks Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general
  11. Matt Gaetz Abruptly Resigns From Congress After Trump Picks Him As Attorney General
  12. Woman testified Matt Gaetz had sex with her while she was 17 and in high school: Report
  13. Women testified to House panel that they were paid for sexual favors by Gaetz, lawyer says
  14. Speaker Johnson says Gaetz ethics report should not be released, rebuffing senators
  15. Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz
  16. Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws
  17. House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics report
  18. Matt Gaetz report to be released by House Ethics Committee after all
  19. Matt Gaetz to join One America News as an anchor, source says
  20. Ex-Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz sued by women, accused of sex trafficking

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 39 recorded updates

October 2026

  1. Ex-Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz sued by women, accused of sex traffickingHeadline from WFLA · 28 outlets

April 2025

  1. Republican Jimmy Patronis wins Florida's 1st congressional district race, defeating Democrat Gay ValimontHeadline from FOX 35 Orlando · 10 outlets

March 2025

  1. Republicans win Florida special elections in Trump strongholds by narrower margins than in 2024Headline from Boston · 18 outlets
  2. Democrats raise millions in Florida special House elections: ‘The floodgates have really opened'Headline from NBC 6 South Florida · 7 outlets

December 2024

  1. House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of paying for sex, including with 17-year-old girlHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 68 outlets
  2. House Ethics Committee expected to release long-anticipated Matt Gaetz report MondayHeadline from MyNorthwest · 23 outlets
  3. Matt Gaetz report to be released by House Ethics Committee after allHeadline from Fox10 Phoenix · 53 outlets
  4. Matt Gaetz to join One America News as an anchor, source saysHeadline from CNN · 15 outlets
  5. House rejects Democratic efforts to force release of Matt Gaetz ethics reportHeadline from Minneapolis Star Tribune · 25 outlets

November 2024

  1. Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis seeks to replace Matt GaetzHeadline from FOX 13 Tampa · 8 outlets
  2. Matt Gaetz joins Cameo after dropping from attorney general considerationHeadline from Washington Times · 7 outlets
  3. Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdrawsHeadline from Omaha World-Herald · 70 outlets
  4. Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney generalHeadline from Waco Tribune-Herald · 98 outlets
  5. After dropping attorney general nomination, Matt Gaetz says he won't return to CongressHeadline from 10TV Columbus · 41 outlets
  6. Women testified to House panel that they were paid for sexual favors by Gaetz, lawyer saysHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 5 outlets
  7. Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt GaetzHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 43 outlets
  8. Hacker accesses sealed testimony of woman alleging Matt Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17Headline from NBC Chicago · 18 outlets
  9. Florida court fight gives insight into the House review of sex allegations against Matt GaetzHeadline from CNN · 5 outlets
  10. House Ethics Committee to meet Wednesday amid growing pressure to release Gaetz reportHeadline from CBS News · 9 outlets
  11. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid an adult woman for sex in 2017, attorney saysHeadline from NBC 6 South Florida · 14 outlets
  12. Speaker Johnson says Gaetz ethics report should not be released, rebuffing senatorsHeadline from Local News 8 · 27 outlets
  13. Show us the Gaetz ethics report, Durbin and others urgeHeadline from Roll Call · 8 outlets
  14. Woman testified Matt Gaetz had sex with her while she was 17 and in high school: ReportHeadline from FOX 29 Philadelphia · 13 outlets
  15. Sen. Fetterman says Trump is ‘trolling’ with Rep. Gaetz attorney general pickHeadline from Washington Times · 5 outlets
  16. Matt Gaetz Abruptly Resigns From Congress After Trump Picks Him As Attorney GeneralHeadline from Forbes · 15 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →