Rumors that Matt Gaetz, having withdrew from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's Attorney General, would return to the next Congress either in the House, or maybe as Sen. Marco Rubio's replacement, are not true, the former Florida congressman said.
"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 said in a Real America's Voice interview with Charlie Kirk on Friday.
Gaetz who led the effort to have former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed in 2023 had created animosity on Capitol Hill toward himself.
“I was dealing with a politically motivated body. They didn’t like me because of what I did to Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said, according to CNN. “And they had an ax to grind. So that was going to serve as at least enough of a basis to delay my confirmation as attorney general.”
“I enjoyed the time on the Hill, frankly, talking with senators, and we had great momentum,” he told Kirk.
“While our discussions were going well, I found myself having to do two jobs at one time,” he added. “I had a full-time job explaining to senators that maybe a tweet I sent about them was rash and not reflective of how I would serve as attorney general.
“And at the same time, I was having to build out the Department of Justice with the right human talent, [and] the right policy infrastructure.”
“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,” Gaetz said.
Gaetz was first elected to Florida’s state legislature when he was 28.
“I’m 42 now, and I’ve got other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue — my wife and my family — and so I’m going to be fighting for President Trump," he said. "I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Others have floated the possibility that Gaetz could join the Trump administration in an advisory role that does not require Senate confirmation.
"We need a leadership structure under President Trump that’s going to allow for durability of our movement and the ability to continue this great realignment of our politics, and so I’ll play a part in that," Gaetz told Kirk. "I plan to be a big voice, but maybe not as an elected member of the government."
After Gaetz removed his name from consideration for AG on Thursday, Trump selected former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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