Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from his pending nomination as attorney general in the next Trump administration, said he won’t return to Congress next year.
Mr. Gaetz, 42, told Turning Point Action head Charlie Kirk that he has other plans.
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch,” Mr. Gaetz said Friday. “I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.”
Even though he resigned his seat in the current Congress in anticipation of becoming attorney general, Mr. Gaetz could have returned to the House next year because he won reelection in a landslide on Nov. 5. His abandoning of the Cabinet nomination meant he was still eligible to take the oath of office on Jan. 3 to serve a fifth term.
His absence in the new Congress will trigger the House clerk to announce a vacancy that must be filled by a special election. Mr. Gaetz represented the reliably red 1st Congressional District along the Florida Panhandle.
The conservative firebrand resigned from his House seat on Nov. 13, the same day Mr. Trump announced his intention to nominate him to become the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
But Mr. Gaetz’s early effort to win confirmation was tough going.
The House Ethics Committee has weighed whether to release a report of its investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old girl. He has not been charged with a crime in connection with the allegations.
Across the Capitol, senators tasked with confirming or denying his appointment questioned his qualifications and fitness for the job.
Even as many conservatives cheered him on, Mr. Gaetz backed out of the nomination Thursday after barnstorming the Senate with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and determining he lacked the votes from his own party to win confirmation.
Later in the day, Mr. Trump announced a new and more conventional nominee for the role, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Mr. Gaetz’s announcement leaves his future up in the air after he campaigned tirelessly for Mr. Trump and served as one of his staunchest allies in Congress.
Mr. Gaetz built a reputation as one of several GOP pit bulls on the House Judiciary Committee who questioned Biden administration officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray and special counsel Robert Hur.
Mr. Gaetz’s final term in Congress was perhaps his most impactful. He led the move by a small band of far-right Republicans to force out GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. The move left the House in chaos for weeks and led to the election of Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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