Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz revealed Friday some of the reasoning behind his decision to withdraw from the attorney general nomination process, saying some senators “had an ax to grind” against him.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday in a post on Truth Social, “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect.”
Gaetz began earlier in the week meeting with senators whose approval he would need in order to be confirmed as AG.
“I enjoyed the time on the Hill, frankly, talking with senators, and we had great momentum,” he told Real America’s Voice host Charlie Kirk on Friday.
“While our discussions were going well, I found myself having to do two jobs at one time,” he added. “I had a full-time job explaining to senators that maybe a tweet I sent about them was rash and not reflective of how I would serve as attorney general.
“And at the same time, I was having to build out the Department of Justice with the right human talent, [and] the right policy infrastructure.”
Gaetz recounted that Trump’s new pick to head the DOJ, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, will not have the same distractions.
“It won’t take the same long process” to get her confirmed, the former congressman argued.
Matt Gaetz is currently at Mar-a-Lago, helping build an “America First Army” to take over the DOJ.
“You and I have been very involved at Mar-a-Lago at finding patriotic Americans who want to do incredible service, not for themselves, for the country, and putting them in a… pic.twitter.com/KvsHeL20AB
— George (@BehizyTweets) November 22, 2024
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Gaetz who led the effort to have former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed in 2023 had created animosity on Capitol Hill toward himself.
“I was dealing with a politically motivated body. They didn’t like me because of what I did to Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said, according to CNN. “And they had an ax to grind. So that was going to serve as at least enough of a basis to delay my confirmation as attorney general.”
The America First firebrand also revealed to Kirk that he will not be seeking to return to the House to serve in the next Congress in January. When Gaetz resigned his seat, it was from the current 118th Congress.
“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,” he said.
“There are a number of fantastic Floridians who stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service. And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation,” Gaetz added.
JUST IN: Matt Gaetz tells Charlie Kirk that he does *not* intend on joining the 119th Congress, hints he has other plans “from a new perch.”
The statement comes after Gaetz withdrew his name from the AG nomination.
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from… pic.twitter.com/CU7ipJvSWl
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 22, 2024
“I’m 42 now, and 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,” he said. “I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Prior to his decision to resign, Gaetz had faced the prospect of having a House Ethics report released.
The panel had been investigating allegations that he paid a 17-year-old girl to have sex with him at a party in 2017.
The DOJ had also investigated Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking allegations but ended its probe in 2023 bringing no charges.
He told Kirk the allegations were false and an attempt to smear him, NBC News reported.
“[I]f the things that the House Ethics report [said] were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell,” Gaetz said. “But of course, they’re false, because when you test them against other records, when you test them against other testimony, it all falls apart very quickly.”
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