The announcement in the House on Friday that former Rep. Matt Gaetz would not be a member of the 119th Congress was met with a round of applause in the chamber.
As the acting clerk of the House Kevin McCumber gaveled the chamber into session he noted that the Florida Republican had submitted a letter of resignation and would no longer be serving in the House.
Members of the chamber welcomed the news with applause.
Gaetz stepped down after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general in November, even as the House Ethics Committee was poised to release the results of an investigation into sexual misconduct on the Republican firebrand.
When opposition mounted to his nomination to run the Justice Department, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, saying he was "unfairly becoming a distraction" to the incoming administration.
In December, the panel released the report on Gaetz, accusing him of paying women for sex, including a 17-year-old girl, and violating statutory rape laws.
Originally published by International Business Times
