Former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) confirmed Friday that he will not be rejoining Congress next year after withdrawing from consideration to serve as attorney general in Donald Trump’s second term.
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in an interview.
“There are a number of fantastic Floridians who stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service. And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation,” he added.
Gaetz was first elected to Congress in 2016 and has been a staunch Trump ally.
He resigned from the House earlier this month after Trump selected him to lead the Department of Justice and before the House Ethics Committee could release a report about its investigation into him, including alleged sexual misconduct.
Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to serve as Trump’s attorney general Thursday, saying in a statement that “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
Following Gaetz’s withdrawal, Trump announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his new nominee to lead the Justice Department.
“My good friend Pam Bondi is going to be a phenomenal attorney general for Donald Trump,” Gaetz said. “She has the legal acumen. She hates criminals. She is a bright legal mind and a fellow Floridian.”
If Gaetz had returned to the House, the Ethics Committee damaging report following a years long investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, inappropriate relationships with underage girls, and other claims, could have been released.
On Friday Gaetz denied the allegations.
“If the things that the House Ethics report [said] were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell,” Gaetz said. “But of course, they’re false, because when you test them against other records, when you test them against other testimony, it all falls apart very quickly.”
