Former Representative Matt Gaetz has announced that he will not rejoin Congress in January, following his withdrawal from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for
attorney general.
“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, a Florida Republican, said during an interview with Charlie Kirk on Friday. This marked his first public comments after stepping back from his attorney general bid on Thursday.
Gaetz’s candidacy for the attorney general position faced significant challenges, including allegations of sexual misconduct. It became clear that he lacked sufficient Republican support in the Senate for confirmation to the role of the nation’s top law enforcement official. On Thursday evening, Trump announced that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi would instead be nominated for the position.
Gaetz had resigned his House seat last week, raising questions about whether he would seek to reclaim it in the next Congress. Addressing these speculations, Gaetz remarked, “I am going to be fighting for President Trump, doing whatever he asks of me as I always have. But I think eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Should Gaetz have attempted a return, he likely would have faced significant scrutiny, as the House Ethics Committee was investigating allegations against him. A report from the bipartisan committee, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, could have further complicated his political career.
The Department of Justice had previously investigated claims that Gaetz committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl and transporting her across state lines. That probe was closed without charges. However, the House Ethics Committee continued its own investigation into the allegations, as well as others, and had been poised to vote on releasing its findings just two days after Gaetz abruptly resigned.
Traditionally, the House refrains from publishing findings related to former members. Nonetheless, some Democrats on the committee pushed for transparency, while certain Republican senators argued that the information was relevant in evaluating Gaetz’s potential nomination for attorney general.
A lawyer representing two witnesses confirmed that his clients testified before the Ethics Committee. One witness alleged that Gaetz, while under the influence of drugs, had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with the 17-year-old. However, the witness also stated that Gaetz may not have known the girl’s age. Gaetz has consistently denied all allegations.
The Ethics Committee ultimately deadlocked on whether to release the report. House Speaker Mike Johnson advised against its publication, expressing concerns that doing so would set a precedent for disclosing investigative findings about former members of Congress. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
