Gaetz says he will not return to Congress

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Friday he will not return to Congress after resigning his House seat last week, despite having withdrawn from consideration to be President-elect Trump’s attorney general — but added he is “not going anywhere.”

“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, later adding it is a “pretty poetic time” to allow Florida’s 1st District to have new representation.

There were questions about whether Gaetz may try to return to Capitol Hill for the 119th Congress — and whether he would want to — given the careful wording used in his letter announcing his resignation from the 118th Congress last week.

But he put an end to that speculation less than a day after it began.

“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. I'm going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have,” Gaetz said. “But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”

Gaetz’s decision to not return to Congress also keeps him out of the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, which has been wrestling since his resignation with whether to release the report resulting from its years-long investigation of him on allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and more.He has vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

The Ethics panel on Wednesday — before Gaetz had removed himself from attorney general consideration — 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.

But Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), the chair of the committee, said Thursday that Gaetz no longer being in the running for attorney general “should end the discussion” of whether the panel should release the report.

Two House Democrats have also made moves to try to force House votes requiring the Ethics panel to release its report, and they have vowed to continue with pushing for a vote when Congress returns from Thanksgiving.

It is not clear what the Florida lawmaker does next, but Gaetz has plenty of options aside from returning to the House. Those include Trump appointing him to a position that does not require Senate confirmation, exploring a run for governor of Florida, or even launching a media career.

“Don't worry — I'm not going anywhere. I'm not taking off for like, you know, tropical excursion for the rest of my life. I am here to help save this country,” he said Friday.

“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. So, I'll play a part in that. I plan to be a big voice,” Gaetz added.