Former Congressman Matt Gaetz said Friday he will not return to Congress next year, a day after withdrawing his nomination to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s Justice Department amid allegations of drug use and sex with minors.
“I will still be in the fight, but it will be from a new position. I do not intend to be part of the 119th Congress,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who won another term in Congress, said in an interview with right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
When he was nominated by Trump last week for the nation’s top law enforcement job, Gaetz resigned from Congress and said he did not intend to return when the new session began in January.
But his withdrawal from the nomination has raised doubts about whether he will try to regain his seat in the Chamber of Deputies.
Gaetz faced a tough road to Senate confirmation as a House ethics committee investigated allegations that he had sex with a girl under 17 and used illicit drugs. He denied any wrongdoing.
Gaetz’s resignation leaves Republicans with an even narrower margin in the House next year. The party won 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214, with Republicans leading in two more of the three seats yet to be decided.
A spokesperson for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
His seat, which represents a heavily Republican Florida district, will remain vacant until a special election on April 1, 2025, according to the Florida Department of State.
Source: Terra
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