Matt Gaetz says he does not intend to return to Congress

Matt Gaetz is no longer up for AG, but the damage is done. Image via AP.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz says he won’t be sworn in to the next Congress.

The Fort Walton Beach Republican said in an interview with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk that he does not plan to return to Congress in January.

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

That means a Special Election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District will likely take place. Candidates had already made moves to run in the as-yet-uncalled election to replace Gaetz after President-elect Donald Trump announced the Congressman as his top pick for Attorney General.

But facing a daunting confirmation fight in the Senate, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for the Cabinet post. Trump shortly afterward announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice for the job instead.

After the initial nomination, Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress. However, he did win re-election to a fifth term in November, and could have been seated in the next Congress on Jan. 3 without interruption in that term.

His resignation from his seat stated, “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump administration.”

But the language in the letter was not binding as far as being seated for a fifth term after he abandoned the pursuit of the Cabinet post.

He signaled to Kirk that won’t happen, however, and that his days as a House member are behind him.

Of note, the House Ethics Committee was preparing when Gaetz resigned to release a report on a yearslong investigation into sexual misconduct and drug use allegations. The committee to date has withheld that report, as Gaetz no longer serves in the body, a deterrent that would have been eliminated if Gaetz returned as a member of the Chamber in January.