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Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman who was briefly in contention to be Donald Trump’s next attorney general, is now reportedly set to join the conservative channel One America News Network (OANN) as an anchor.
CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes first reported the development on Monday citing an unnamed source, which appeared to explain a cryptic post by Gaetz’s wife Ginger on X on Sunday that read simply: “Big news coming next week!”
CNN’s chief media analyst Brian Stelter subsequently reported that he had asked OANN’s president Charles Herring to confirm Gaetz’s appointment, but Herring had declined to comment. The Independent has approached OANN for further clarification.
A webpage for “The Matt Gaetz Show” was live on the network’s official website complete with banner and promotional artwork as of Tuesday morning.
Gaetz, 42, a MAGA firebrand known for his role in the ousting of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is a favorite with Trump’s base.
Last month, he was named as the president-elect’s preferred candidate to lead the Justice Department.
He stepped down from Congress immediately after Trump’s announcement, just two days before the House Ethics Committee was set to release its report into allegations that he had sex with an underage girl and used recreational drugs.
Gaetz repeatedly denied those claims and has not been charged with a crime.
The revived scandal sank his chances of joining Trump’s administration, with Senate Republicans voicing disquiet ahead of his confirmation hearings in January.
Realizing he lacked the necessary support on Capitol Hill, Gaetz reluctantly withdrew from the process and Trump reacted by appointing the more experienced ex-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in his place.
The House panel has since decided against publishing the findings of its probe.
McCarthy, who remains a bitter enemy of Gaetz, appeared on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox News show on Sunday morning to attack him for “lying” to Trump about his past. He argued that the whole episode had provided Gaetz with a convenient excuse to step away from Washington before the ethics report could see the light of day.
“People know that’s why he’s not capable of even staying in Congress,” McCarthy said.
“He needed an excuse to resign because the ethics report would be done in a couple days.”
Gaetz is not the only one of the president-elect’s nominees to his incoming administration to find themselves dogged by past scandals.
His choice for defense secretary, former Fox News weekend anchor Pete Hegseth, has faced repeated questions about a past sexual assault allegation, his alleged alcoholism and comments on women in the armed forces.
Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, is also under fire over her past support for deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
