Who is Matt Gaetz, Florida's 1st District Congressman who Speaker Kevin McCarthy?

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has finally made good on his threat to trigger a vote to remove Kevin McCarty, R-Calif., from his position as Speaker of the House.

Gaetz introduced the motion Monday night, a week after Gaetz previously threatened to oust McCarthy if he attempted to negotiate a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a short-term, stopgap bill at the last minute Saturday, narrowly avoiding the shutdown. Now both parties have until Nov. 17 to come up with a permanent solution.

Gaetz files motion to remove McCarthy: Gaetz files motion to remove Speaker McCarthy from leadership position

Here’s what to know about the U.S. Congressman.

Who is Matt Gaetz?

Gaetz is the current U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district and a lawyer. He assumed office on Jan. 3, 2017. Gaetz previously served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 4th district, a seat he held from April 13, 2010, to Nov. 8, 2016.

Gaetz is also the son of Don Gaetz, a prominent Florida politician who served as a member of the Florida State Senate from 2006 to 2016 and served as the Senate president from 2012 to 2014.

How old is Matt Gaetz?

Matt Gaetz was born on May 7, 1982. He is 41 years old.

Where was Matt Gaetz born?

Matt Gaetz was born in Hollywood, Florida, and grew up in Northwest Florida, according to his Congressional biography.

Who is Matt Gaetz’s wife?

Matt Gaetz is married to Ginger Luckey, the sister of Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey. Gaetz and Luckey announced their engagement in December 2020 and married in August 2021.

Does Matt Gaetz have any children?

In June 2020, Gaetz announced on Twitter that he has a teenage son named Nestor, whom he claims to have raised for the past six years. Gaetz has no blood relation to Nestor Galban, of Cuba, who is referred to as one of two "local students" he worked with while in Tallahassee in 2016, according to a 2020 News Journal story.

Where does Matt Gaetz reside?

He currently lives in Fort Walton Beach.

Matt Gaetz expelled? House GOP members may expel Matt Gaetz if ethics investigation finds allegations credible

What is Matt Gaetz’s net worth?

Estimates place Matt Gaetz’s net worth anywhere between $235,000 to an unbelievable $750 million.

On Gaetz’s latest Congressional disclosure form, his reported assets ranged between $235,000-$625,000. The form requires representatives to report most of their holdings, though not all of them.

Gaetz does come from a wealthy family. His parents, Don and Victoria Gaetz, had a reported net worth of $29.6 million, according to a document he submitted to Florida’s ethics commission in June 2020.

Matt Gaetz education

Gaetz graduated from Niceville High School and went on to get a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary sciences from Florida State University in 2003 and a Juris Doctor from the William & Mary Law School in 2007.

Gaetz was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008 but was disbarred in 2021 for not paying his bar dues.

How tall is Matt Gaetz?

The only official record indicating Matt Gaetz’s height is his arrest report stemming from a 2008 DUI charge. The report indicated that Gaetz was 6’2” and weighed 192 pounds at the time.

Matt Gaetz controversies over 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 invites 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.

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, but was not part of the committee. Afterward, the House Ethics Committee and the Florida Bar Association opened an 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 reportedly 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 are examining whether Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws.

Gaetz responded to the report on his Twitter account Tuesday evening, later sending the statement to the Pensacola News Journal, alleging he was the victim of a former Justice Department official seeking $25 million payment.

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 reported that the final report is nearly complete.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Who is Matt Gaetz, the Florida Congressman who ousted McCarthy?