But was Gaetz's resignation really abrupt? He resigned on the same day Trump announced his nomination, which raised eyebrows, but do we really imagine Gaetz himself only found out about his nomination when it was announced? Of course not. He had already been asked, accepted, and begun planning. And one thing he took into account was his party's razor-thin majority in the lower chamber.
Fox News reported:
"I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately," [Speaker Mike] Johnson said. "That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can't have too many absences."
The speaker pointed out that Florida state law gave the governor "about an eight-week period" to fill a House vacancy and that by doing so, "we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3." (Author's note: Jan. 3 is when the new session of Congression convenes.)
Johnson said he's already in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter.
https://pjmedia.com/athena-thorne/2024/11/15/so-thats-why-matt-gaetz-resigned-immediately-from-congress-n4934309
