Former United States Congress member Matt Gaetz has confirmed he will not resume his seat in the House of Representatives, amid scrutiny over sex-trafficking allegations.
Gaetz had been President-elect Donald Trump’s first pick for the role of attorney general in his incoming administration.
But speaking on Friday to the conservative podcast The Charlie Kirk Show, Gaetz addressed his decision to withdraw his name from consideration, as controversy loomed over his nomination.
“I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” Gaetz said in the interview.
“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, the son of a former Florida state senator, had served as the US representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District since 2017.
But on November 13, when Trump nominated him to lead the Department of Justice, Gaetz abruptly resigned his seat in Congress.
Critics pointed out that …