Gaetz says he will not return to Congress

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Friday helium volition not instrumentality to Congress aft resigning his House spot past week, contempt having withdrawn from information to beryllium President-elect Trump’s lawyer wide — but added helium is “not going anywhere.”

“I'm inactive going to beryllium successful the fight, but it's going to beryllium from a caller perch. I bash not mean to articulation the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, aboriginal adding it is a “pretty poetic time” to let Florida’s 1st District to person caller representation.

There were questions astir whether Gaetz whitethorn effort to instrumentality to Capitol Hill for the 119th Congress — and whether helium would privation to — fixed the cautious wording utilized successful his missive announcing his resignation from the 118th Congress past week.

But helium enactment an extremity to that speculation little than a time aft it began.

“I've got different goals successful beingness that I'm anxious to pursue; my woman and my family. And so, I'm going to beryllium warring for President Trump. I'm going to beryllium doing immoderate helium asks of me, arsenic I ever have,” Gaetz said. “But I deliberation that 8 years is astir apt capable clip successful the United States Congress.”

Gaetz’s determination to not instrumentality to Congress besides keeps him retired of the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee, which has been wrestling since his resignation with whether to merchandise the study resulting from its years-long probe of him connected allegations of intersexual misconduct, illicit cause usage and more.He has vigorously denied immoderate wrongdoing.

The Ethics sheet connected Wednesday — earlier Gaetz had removed himself from lawyer wide information — declined to merchandise its report, with the committee's Republicans voting against doing so, but near unfastened the anticipation of opting to merchandise it astatine a aboriginal date.

But Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), the seat of the committee, said Thursday that Gaetz’s withdrawal “should extremity the discussion” of whether the sheet should merchandise the report.

Two House Democrats person besides made moves to effort to unit House votes requiring the Ethics sheet to merchandise its report, and they person vowed to continue with pushing for a ballot erstwhile Congress returns from Thanksgiving.

It is not wide what the Florida lawmaker does next, but Gaetz has plenty of options aside from returning to the House. Those see Trump appointing him to a presumption that does not necessitate Senate confirmation, exploring a tally for politician of Florida, oregon adjacent launching a media career.

“Don't interest — I'm not going anywhere. I'm not taking disconnected for like, you know, tropical excursion for the remainder of my life. I americium present to assistance prevention this country,” helium said Friday.

“We request a enactment operation nether President Trump that's going to let for durability of our question and the quality to proceed this large realignment of our politics. So, I'll play a portion successful that. I program to beryllium a large voice,” Gaetz added.