Matt Gaetz once faced a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking.

WASHINGTON — Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department, which he was appointed to lead, and was under review by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct.

But that investigation effectively ended Wednesday when Gaetz resigned from Congress.

A staunch defender of Trump, Gaetz has endured scandal-plagued years that have jeopardized his confirmation by the Republican-led Senate as the nation’s top federal law enforcement official.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without any federal charges against him.

Trump’s attorney general is expected to oversee radical changes at the Justice Department, which has been the target of Trump’s ire over two criminal cases accusing him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. Trump, who sees himself as the victim of politically motivated investigations, repeatedly promised during the campaign that he would retaliate against his political enemies if he returned to the White House.

Gaetz is unlikely to be confirmed in time to oversee special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump, both of which are expected to expire before the new president takes office. Smith is expected to leave his post before Trump takes office, but special advisers are historically expected to produce publicly released reports on their work, and it remains unclear when such a document might be released.

In a statement announcing his selection Wednesday, Trump said Gaetz would root out “systemic corruption” at the Justice Department and return the department to its “true mission of fighting crime and defending our democracy and constitution.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gaetz said, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” he wrote.

Hours before the announcement, Gaetz said in a social media post that a “full crackdown on this ARMED government” was needed. And he added: “And if that means Abolishing each of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to hit the road!” If confirmed as attorney general, he would oversee both the FBI and the ATF, formally known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The news that Trump had chosen Gaetz to head the Department of Justice at a special meeting of House Republicans came as a shock. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho said he had a hard time believing Gaetz could make it past the Senate confirmation process. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she did not believe Gaetz was a serious candidate.

Some of Gaetz’s allies in the House defended him as Trump’s pick, pointing to his experience as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Asked Wednesday if she believed Gaetz could be confirmed, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, told reporters that many people would try to “smear” him but “the evidence will speak for itself.”

The federal sex trafficking investigation, launched under Attorney General Bill Barr during Trump’s first term, focused on allegations that Gaetz and his onetime political ally Joel Greenberg paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex.

Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as a tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. These people’s names were not included in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison in late 2022.

Federal investigators looked into Gaetz’s trip to the Bahamas with a group of women and a doctor who donated to his campaign and whether the women were paid or given gifts to have sex with men. They are not allowed to discuss the investigation publicly. Prosecutors also investigated whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some women and examined Gaetz’s connections to the medical marijuana industry, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation Gaetz sponsored, the people said.

Gaetz remained under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that he was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.

The committee began examining Gaetz in April 2021, postponed its work at the request of the Justice Department, and renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department was ending its sex trafficking investigation.

Over the summer, the committee offered an unusual public update on its long-running investigation, saying the review now includes whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted improper gifts and tried to obstruct government investigations into his behavior. Gaetz categorically denied all allegations before the committee.

Rep. Michael Guest, the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee, told The Associated Press that Gaetz’s nomination does not change the panel’s ongoing investigation. But Gaetz’s resignation means the committee will no longer have the authority to continue the investigation.

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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Eric Tucker, Lisa Mascaro, Michael Balsamo and Stephen Groves contributed from Washington.