Could Matt Gaetz be next on the Congressional chopping block as controversies catch up to him?

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, may have made history by leading Democrats and a handful of hard-right Republicans in a charge to oust a speaker via a motion to vacate for the first time ever, but he made no friends in doing so.

Former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from the top position in the House Tuesday in a narrow 216-210 vote. Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., was named as the acting House speaker. His first rule of business? Kick former Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from her office while she attended Dianne Feinstein’s funeral, along with former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

McHenry then adjourned the House until Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Republicans who voted in favor of keeping McCarthy as speaker aired their grievances against Gaetz, who is in danger of being ousted himself as the House Ethics Committee looks to wrap up its investigation into several allegations against the Florida congressman.

Is Gaetz next on the chopping block? House GOP members may expel Matt Gaetz if ethics investigation finds allegations credible

“Matt Gaetz, to say he came here as a fiscal crusader, it’s more likely he came here for the teenage interns on Capitol Hill, to be honest,” Marc Short, former Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, told CNN Wednesday night.

Short’s comment referred to allegations that Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel.

Rep. Garret Graves, R-LA, told Semafor that there should be repercussions for McCarthy’s removal and claimed that Gaetz would make a “great dictator.”

"I think Matt would be a great dictator in a small island nation in the Pacific or something, that's probably the best next step for him,” he said.

Other Republicans have since come out to accuse Gaetz of treating the vote as a political stunt to gain more attention as Gaetz has begun spinning the vitriol against him to fundraise.

Matt Gaetz controversies throughout the years

Gaetz is no stranger to controversy, the first of which started in 2008 and involved a DUI charge that was subsequently dropped. He became embroiled in more controversy after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election and Gaetz positioned himself as one of his biggest supporters.

Gaetz introduced legislation to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency

One of his first acts as a congressman was introducing legislation in February 2017 that would abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal garnered very little support from his colleagues and stalled on the House floor, but it made national headlines nonetheless.

Gaetz cast lone no vote on anti-human trafficking bill

Later that year in December, Gaetz cast the lone no vote on an anti-human trafficking bill that easily sailed through both houses of Congress on Dec. 19. Gaetz said at the time, from a Facebook Live session in his living room, that he voted no because, despite best intentions of the bill, it represented "mission creep" at the federal level in creating the committee.

Gaetz invited alt-right activist and racist internet troll to State of the Union

In February 2018, Gaetz was once again under fire for inviting an infamous alt-right activist and racist internet troll Chuck Johnson to the State of the Union address in Washington D.C. Gaetz claimed at the time he had no idea who Johnson was and he gave him a ticket after he showed up at Gaetz's office before the speech Tuesday.

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Gaetz accused of witness intimidation over Michael Cohen tweet

Some members of Congress accused Gaetz of attempting to intimidate a witness on Feb. 26, 2019, when he sent out a tweet about Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen that implied he had multiple extramarital affairs and suggested his wife might be unfaithful while he was imprisoned due to new information disclosed to her. Gaetz eventually deleted the tweet and apologized.

Gaetz crashes Cohen’s hearing

Gaetz continued to make headlines while Cohen was in the media spotlight when he crashed the House Oversight Committee’s hearing with Cohen. Gaetz, claiming he only wanted to observe the hearing and ask questions, was not part of the committee. Afterward, the House Ethics Committee and the Florida Bar Association opened investigation into Gaetz over the aforementioned tweet. The state bar found no probable cause that Gaetz violated any rules in August 2019.

Gaetz announces he had a Cuban “son” named Nestor

In June 2020, Gaetz sent shockwaves through social media in June when he announced he had a Cuban “son,” Nestor, who he claimed to have been raising for the past six years. Nestor is the biological brother of Gaetz's ex-girlfriend and he said at the time he was a "single dad."

Gaetz accused of having sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl

In March 2021, the New York Times broke the story that Gaetz was being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel.

The Times cited "three people briefed on the matter" who said investigators were examining whether Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws.

The Justice Department ultimately decided not to charge Gaetz in February after investigators warned that two of the key witnesses were unreliable.

Gaetz accused of violating House ethics rules by using taxpayer money on speech-writing consultant

In 2020, Politico reported that Gaetz had improperly sent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to a limited liability company linked to a speech-writing consultant who was removed from the Trump administration.

The report also noted that Gaetz may have used taxpayer money to build a private studio in his father’s home in Niceville and rent video equipment.

COVID-19 pandemic absences

Gaetz along with dozens of other Republican House members were accused of citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to skip votes in February 2021. Gaetz and the others asked others to vote on their behalf while they instead attended the Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place at the same time as their absences.

Conservative-led House Ethics Committee quietly reopens ethics investigation

The House Ethics Committee reopened its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations, taking bribes, and using drugs. Gaetz has denied the allegations and Fox News recently reported that the final report is nearly complete.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Matt Gaetz's myriad of controversies may catch up to him. A recap: