Matt Gaetz rules out return to Congress after withdrawing from AG bid

Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz Friday ruled retired a imaginable instrumentality to Congress aft dropping his bid to go President-elect Trump’s lawyer general.

The erstwhile Florida lawmaker told a right-wing podcast that helium wouldn’t effort to locomotion backmost his resignation from the deep-red spot that helium precocious won successful a reelection landslide contempt the implosion of his information amid sex-and-drug accusations.

“I’m inactive going to beryllium successful the fight, but it’s going to beryllium from a caller perch but I bash not mean to articulation the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told “America’s Voice” podcast big Charlie Kirk.

Gaetz, 42, praised the Republicans jostling for a accidental to instrumentality his spot connected Capitol Hill and called it “a beauteous poetic clip to let that large caller humor to travel in.”

The four-term Republican said he has “other goals successful life,” without elaborating.

“I’m going to beryllium warring for President Trump,” Gaetz said. “I’m going to beryllium doing immoderate helium asks of me, arsenic I ever have. But I deliberation that 8 years is astir apt capable clip successful the United States Congress.”

Matt Gaetz. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Gaetz, 1 of Trump’s astir vocal supporters, resigned from Congress past week astatine the aforesaid time arsenic Trump nominated him to beryllium lawyer general. Many interpreted the antithetic determination arsenic a ploy to debar the planned merchandise of a damning House Ethics Committee study into cause and enactment maltreatment allegations.

At slightest 2 young women told the sheet they were paid by Gaetz for enactment at drug-fueled parties successful Florida and during abrogation jaunts. One was lone 17 and a precocious schoolhouse pupil astatine the time.

He pulled the plug connected his bid arsenic more lurid allegations surfaced and GOP senators told him helium couldn’t triumph confirmation. It’s unclear whether the study volition ever beryllium released present that helium is nary longer a subordinate of Congress and nary longer vying to beryllium lawyer general.

Trump rapidly moved to nominate erstwhile Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi successful his place, a prime that drew favorable responses from GOP lawmakers and analysts.

Gaetz could marque a run for politician of the Sunshine State successful 2026 erstwhile Gov. Ron DeSantis volition beryllium barred by word limits from moving again.

Some of Gaetz’s supporters person mentioned him arsenic a imaginable campaigner to beryllium appointed to capable the soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat present held by Marco Rubio, who has been nominated for Secretary of State.

DeSantis, who volition marque that pick, has kept quiescent astir who mightiness beryllium connected his abbreviated list.