Former GOP Representative Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general on Thursday, married his wife, Ginger Luckey Gaetz, over three years ago.
Gaetz resigned his seat representing Florida's 1st Congressional District shortly after the president-elect nominated him for the Cabinet post on November 13. The nomination proved controversial largely because of a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual abuse and drug use by Gaetz. The panel's report has yet to be released.
Who Is Ginger Luckey Gaetz?
Luckey Gaetz, 30, works as a manager for enterprise, innovation, partnerships and commercialization at accounting company KPMG, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Before joining KPMG, she worked for over five years at California-based food tech company Apeel Sciences. Luckey Gaetz graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting.
Luckey Gaetz's older brother is billionaire Palmer Luckey, the founder of virtual reality company Oculus VR and an enthusiastic Trump supporter who has host multiple fundraising events for the president-elect.
How Did Matt and Ginger Luckey Meet?
Gaetz and Luckey Gaetz met during a March 8, 2020, fundraising event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. The then-congressman proposed at another Mar-a-Lago event in December that year.
Luckey Gaetz told the Daily Mail at the time that her engagement to Gaetz "didn't come as a surprise" and that she had "sort of seen it coming."
When Did Matt and Ginger Luckey Get Married?
Luckey Gaetz told the Daily Mail in 2020 that her wedding would take place "sometime between now and 2024," but the couple decided to elope in August 2021.
A small wedding ceremony was held on Southern California's Catalina Island. The engagement and the wedding took place amid a Department of Justice probe into allegations that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The investigation ended without charges in 2023. Gaetz denies any wrongdoing.
Who Is Matt Gaetz's adopted son, Nestor Galban?
In June 2020, Gaetz raised eyebrows in Washington by revealing that he had adopted Nestor Galban, then 19 years old, after he arrived in the U.S. from Cuba at the age of 12.
Gaetz told People magazine in 2020 that he was not Galban's biological father and had not formally adopted him. But he said Galban was "a part of my family story" and "my son in every conceivable way."
"My work with Nestor, our family—no element of my public service could compare to the joy that our family has brought me," Gaetz said. "I just think that it's been the greatest thing in my life that this young man has been a part of my family."
The relationship between Luckey Gaetz and Galban, who was already an adult by the time she met the then-congressman, is unclear.
When Did Gaetz Withdraw as AG Nominee?
Shortly after 12 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Gaetz announced that he would not accept Trump's nomination, despite holding "excellent meetings" on the previous day to convince GOP senators that he should be confirmed.
"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many," Gaetz said in a statement shared to X (formerly Twitter). "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.
"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he went on.
"I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I'm certain he will Save America."
Has Gaetz's Wife Commented on the Scandal?
Shortly after her husband withdrew himself from consideration, Luckey Gaetz expressed her support and wrote that it was "the end of an era" in a brief post to X. "No one loves America more than this guy," she said.
Luckey Gaetz has yet to directly address any of the allegations against her husband.
However, Roxanne Luckey, her sister, has called Gaetz "weird and creepy" and alleged that he was "a literal pedophile" in 2021.
Luckey Gaetz told The Daily Beast at the time that her "estranged sister is mentally unwell."
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