Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s next move after giving up the nomination for attorney general is uncertain, with the possibility of returning to the House unclear.
Gaetz resigned from his position as representative of Florida’s 1st District almost as soon as being nominated for the job of running the Justice Department. On Thursday, he announced he was dropping out, feeling he was unnecessarily distracting from the Trump administration. With the reason for his resignation now moot, speculation has swirled that he could return to the next Congress.
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One theory floating when he resigned was that he was only resigning from this Congress, and could retake his position come the beginning of the next in January. The wording in his resignation letter, read by the House clerk on Nov. 14, could leave the door open for a return.
“I hereby resign as a United States representative for Florida’s first congressional district, effective immediately,” it read. “And 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.”
Gaetz said he didn’t intend to take the oath for the same office for the next Congress but may be able to change his mind. According to ABC News, while the rules aren’t explicitly clear, Gaetz could declare his change of mind before the special election for his expected vacant seat.
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He won his reelection contest earlier this month and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) hasn’t set a date for the special election to take place to determine who would replace Gaetz. The early timeline for setting a date and speeding through the process of replacing Gaetz was one of the things that appeared to be help weight Trump’s decision to tap the congressman, in addition to his loyalty to the president-elect.
The Florida Republican has only given vague hints as to what his future plans are. In a post on X, thanking Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, he said he was ready to continue his efforts to “save” the U.S., “Just maybe from a different post.”
In his post announcing his stepping down for the attorney general nomination, he said, “I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history.”
There were also rumors on Thursday DeSantis could select Gaetz to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) in the upper chamber after he leaves to join the Trump administration as the next secretary of state.
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Gaetz had the support of Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) to be promoted, though his first preference was RNC Co-Chairwoman Lara Trump to occupy the seat.
The president-elect’s daughter-in-law has been rumored to be a favorite replacement since Rubio was tapped to leave the chamber. And reports on Thursday night suggested DeSantis has no intention of selecting Gaetz to replace Rubio.
If Gaetz does decide to return to the House, and there are no House or state rules that prevent him from doing so, he would run into a similar problem that appeared to derail his candidacy to be the next attorney general.
He resigned his seat days before the House Ethics Committee was set to release a report about a yearslong investigation into him regarding allegations of illicit drug use and sexual misconduct, including paying for sex with a minor. When he resigned, the Ethics Committee lost its jurisdiction over him, and precedent dictated that no report be published.
The committee did vote on whether to release their report in the matter of public interest as Gaetz was being considered for a position in government, but the members deadlocked and the report was not released.
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Trump announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, his defense attorney during his first impeachment, as his next pick for attorney general. Gaetz congratulated her in a post on X.
He said that Bondi, “is a stellar selection by President Trump for Attorney General. Pam and I worked closely together when she was Florida’s Attorney General and I chaired Criminal Justice in the state house. She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans. She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.”
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 22, 2024
