WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday he will not return to Congress after withdrawing his name as attorney general under newly elected President Donald Trump amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
“I’m still going to compete, but it will be from a new place. I have no plans to run for the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “a number of other goals in life that I would like to pursue with my wife and my family.”
The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican, withdrew from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing fallout from federal and House ethics investigations that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the country’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has strongly denied the allegations against him.
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Gaetz’s appointment as attorney general had stunned many career lawyers within the Justice Department, but reflected Trump’s desire to place a loyalist in a department he has singled out for retaliation following the criminal cases against him.
Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, who would come to the job with years of legal work under her belt and that other quality Trump values above all: loyalty.
It is unclear what’s next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House of Representatives. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress on the same day Trump nominated him as attorney general. Some speculated that he could still be sworn in for another two-year term on January 3, having just won re-election earlier this month.
But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14 years, said he is done with Congress.
“I think eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said.
