I will still be part of the fight, but it will be from a new position. I will not be part of the 119th Congress, says Gaetz in an interview with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Trump first nominated Representative Matt Gaetz, who has long fought for the former president's cause in Congress in Washington DC.
But Gaetz stepped back on Thursday, after the nomination drew new attention to the allegations of buying sex that have been made against him and an investigation that has been ongoing in the House Ethics Committee.
I will do what he (Donald Trump, ed. note) asks me to do, as I always have. But I think eight years are enough time in the US Congress, he added.
Since Gaetz's withdrawal, Trump has appointed Pam Bondi as his new intended Attorney General.
US President-elect Donald Trump nominated Matt Gaetz, Representative from Florida, to the Attorney General post. The choice sparked reactions as Gaetz had been a controversial and radical voice within the Republicans. He was also the subject of an investigation into earlier allegations of buying sex in the House Ethics Committee.
Gaetz left his seat in Congress when he was nominated, and the committee's investigation was thus interrupted – but the question remained whether it would make public what had come to light so far. The committee's Republicans voted against it, so it was stopped.
The allegations became increasingly clear, and according to testimony from two young women, Matt Gaetz paid them for sex. One of them was allegedly a minor on one occasion.
Gaetz has denied the allegations. The Justice Department has investigated them without going further with a prosecution.
