Gaetz: I’m Outta Congress for Good

So much for the Return Theory of Gaetz-Keeping. When Rep. Matt Gaetz accepted Donald Trump’s nomination as Attorney General, he had just won re-election to the next session of Congress for his Florida district. Gaetz took the extraordinary step at that time to not just resign his current seat in the House, but to also declare that he had no intention of fulfilling his next term either, creating a more-or-less official vacancy in the 119th Session of the House.

After his withdrawal from consideration yesterday, debate arose about just how official that letter was for the next session. Alternately, people suggested that Gaetz could just enter the special election to fill the vacancy he himself created. Gaetz himself put an end to the debate today on The Charlie Kirk Show, declaring that he will not return to Congress in this session or any others:

HAPPENING NOW🚨 Matt Gaetz told Charlie Kirk that he will NOT be joining the 119th Congress

Thank you for everything you have done Matt 🫡
pic.twitter.com/KqzgSHs3j0

— JFk Awakening Q17 (@jfkawakening17) November 22, 2024

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday that he will not be part of the new Congress when it convenes early next year — despite handily winning re-election earlier this month.

“I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz, 42, told “The Charlie Kirk Show” on Real America’s Voice in his first interview since announcing Thursday that he was withdrawing from consideration to be President-elect Trump’s attorney general.

“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,” added Gaetz, who teased that he would still be involved in public service from a “different perch.”

So what kind of “perch” does Gaetz envision? He didn’t offer specifics, but he plans to work for Trump’s agenda in some sort of significant role, and is apparently working through that with Trump now:

Gaetz said he’s been in elected office for 14 years, first being elected to Florida’s state House when he was 26 years old. “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.”

Gaetz’ decision to immediately resign from Congress for both sessions should have signaled that intent. It seemed strange at the time, and could be explained by a desire to end the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction over him. If he went back in January even to cast a few votes while the special election to fill the seat took place, that jurisdiction would snap back in place. It could also be that Gaetz has soured on Capitol Hill, and was looking for a good excuse to escape that allowed him leverage to find a better “perch.”

One has to wonder why Gaetz ran for the next term at all under those conditions; it might have been better for the GOP to run a newbie in a larger general election where attention wouldn’t focus as much on the seat. On the other hand, it’s not exactly an endangered seat. Gaetz got 66% of the vote on November 5th and won every county in FL-01 by double digits. The district has an R+19 Cook Index rating, and Florida is only getting redder. The last Democrat to win FL-01 was Earl Hutto, who retired in 1994, and who was replaced by Joe Scarborough. 

Back to perches, and the abundance of such at the moment. What kind of role could Gaetz play in the next administration? Trump would have to find him a spot that doesn’t require Senate confirmation, clearly, and there are plenty of those in the West Wing. Duane and I discussed it on our Week in Review show that will launch later, and Duane suggested something in the Office of Legal Counsel. That wouldn’t provide as much visibility as Gaetz would probably want, though, and it isn’t the greatest of fits for an attorney that hasn’t practiced all that much law. Trump could appoint him as a senior adviser in a policy portfolio, which would provide him with more visibility but might give Trump some issues if/when that position needs to liaise with Congress on legislation. 

But who says that Trump has to put Gaetz into the West Wing? There’s another position that opened up after the election and would provide both visibility and engagement for Gaetz in the mission. Pam Bondi replaced Gaetz as the AG nominee, but before that, she spent a couple of years running the legal arm of the America First Policy Institute. A number of AFPI leaders have gotten gigs in the next administration already, including chair Linda McMahon and Bondi, and others like Chad Wolf may get a call from Trump soon. Trump could swap Bondi with Gaetz at AFPI.

Or alternately, the America First Legal Foundation will need a new president. The current leader and founder, Stephen Miller, has already taken the position of deputy chief of staff for policy as well as an official advisor on Homeland Security matters in the next administration. Gaetz would probably fit well in either organization, and AFL might give Gaetz higher visibility as well as a platform to “fight” for Trump’s vision.

Moving into the think-tank arena might be better for Gaetz, too. His personal scandals won’t matter there at all, and he will have more freedom of action than he did in Congress. Trump can rely on Gaetz to stick to the agenda, while not having to deal with resentments in the House and Senate over his past actions either. 

Trump may still want Gaetz in the West Wing, but I’d bet on either of these two orgs as his eventual landing pad or something very similar in that arena. He’s clearly going to land on his feet no matter what happens, as Trump will almost assuredly make certain.