Matt Gaetz will not join 119th Congress after withdrawing from AG bid but vows to support Trump’s 2nd term

11/28/2024 / By Belle Carter

After withdrawing from his bid to lead the Department of Justice as President-elect Donald Trump’s next attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) announced that he will not be joining the 119th Congress despite the validity of his seat.

“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch,” Gaetz said. “I do not intend to join the 119th Congress.”

Gaetz almost immediately resigned his seat in the outgoing 118th Congress when Trump nominated him to be attorney general. (Related: Matt Gaetz WITHDRAWS his name as potential U.S. attorney general nominee.)

“I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said. He also said that now is “pretty poetic time” to allow Florida’s first congressional district to have new representation.

During an interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on his radio talk show, the Trump supporter said that his commitment to “America First” remains steadfast. Gaetz also clarified he is still going to be “fighting for President Trump.”

“I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have,” Gaetz said. “We need a leadership structure under President Trump that’s going to allow for the durability of our movement and the ability to continue this great realignment of our politics. So, I’ll play a part in that. I plan to be a big voice.”

While he waits for Trump’s second term to start, he seems to be enjoying some downtime – fishing, spending time with his wife, Ginger, and filming personalized video messages for supporters on the website Cameo.

The Hill‘s Emily Brooks also pointed out that Gaetz’s decision to not return to Congress keeps him out of the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee. Since his resignation, the committee has been reportedly wrestling with whether to release the report resulting from its years-long investigation of him on allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and more.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Last week, the Ethics panel declined to release its report, with the committee’s Republicans voting against doing so, but left open the possibility of opting to release it at a later date.

Apart from the allegations, four Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), moderate Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator-elect John Curtis of Utah, have been vocally expressing their disapproval of Gaetz’s nomination to be attorney general, saying it will be highly unlikely that they vote for his appointment.

Gaetz accused Curtis on the campaign trail of “weakness” and a “willingness to prioritize foreign interests abroad” and “special interests in the halls of Washington.”

Gaetz shows interest to be Ron DeSantis’ successor as Florida governor

Reports are going viral that Gaetz appears to have his sights set on another big career move.

During the weekend, Lake County, Florida Commissioner Anthony Sabatini posted on X his prediction that the former congressman would be the next governor of the Sunshine State.

In the same thread, Gaetz responded to Sabatini with a gif of the Florida state flag.

Gaetz was accused of having a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old at a party in 2017. Though he denied the allegations, he still withdrew himself from consideration for the attorney general post.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” Gaetz wrote on X on Thursday, Nov. 21.

After Gaetz withdrew, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he appreciated Gaetz’s “efforts.”

“He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the administration, for which he has much respect,” Trump wrote. “Matt has a wonderful future and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tenure as governor ends in 2026, and term limits prevent him from seeking another term. Florida has had a continuous slate of Republican governors since Jeb Bush won his gubernatorial race in 1998.

Head over to Trump.news to read updates on the status of the composition of the key positions in the next administration.

Watch the video below that talks about Gaetz’ dropping out of the Trump AG list.

This video is from Cynthia’s Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.