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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said he will not return to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to serve as attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
“I will still be in the fight, but it will be from a new place. I don’t intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “some other goals in life that I’m looking forward to with my wife and my family.”
The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, 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 top federal law enforcement officer.
The 42-year-old strongly rejected the accusations against him.
Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general stunned many career lawyers inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump’s desire to install loyalists in a department he has marked for retaliation after criminal charges against him.
Hours after Gaetz stepped down, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, who will come to the job with years of legal work behind her and the other trait Trump values most: loyalty.
It’s unclear what’s next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress the same day Trump nominated him to be attorney general.
Some speculated that he might still be sworn in for another two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he 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.
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“I think eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said.
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