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“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
told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has
“some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife
and my family.”
The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican,
stepped aside from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing
fallout from federal and House Ethics investigations that cast
doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief
federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has vehemently
denied the allegations against him.
Gaetz's nomination as attorney general had stunned many career
lawyers inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump's
desire to place a loyalist in a department he has marked for
retribution following the criminal cases against him.
Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the
former Florida attorney general, who would come to the job with
years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump
prizes above all: 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 that Trump nominated him for attorney general. Some
speculated he could still be sworn into office for another
two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he had just won reelection
earlier this month.
But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14
years, said he's done with Congress.
“I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United
States Congress," he said.
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