Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) withdrew from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general-designate on Thursday, but the ex-congressman still could have several career pathways to choose from going forward.
Immediately after the 42-year-old announced he was no longer a candidate to run the Justice Department, Republicans started questioning whether Gaetz will attempt to reclaim the seat he was re-elected to earlier this month or seek a different position — including potentially lobbying to take over for Marco Rubio in the Senate once Rubio resigns to become Trump’s secretary of state.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) expressed openness to the idea, telling Politico that “Matt would be a great person” if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis doesn’t choose Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump to fill the seat.
Gaetz resigned from the lame-duck 118th Congress immediately after Trump announced his choice of the lawmaker as AG Nov. 13.
In his resignation letter, Gaetz told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that he does “not intend” to take his seat in the 119th Congress, which convenes Jan. 3 — though there is always the possibility that he could change his mind.
DeSantis has yet to call a special election to replace either Gaetz or Rep. Mike Waltz, who was chosen to be Trump’s national security adviser.
If Gaetz chose to do so, he could run in any special election to fill his former seat in the remaining days of the 118th Congress — and then take his seat Jan. 3 as the duly elected representative of Florida’s 1st District.
However, if Gaetz does decide he wants to return to the national legislature, he will have to contend with the ethics probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other transgressions.
Gaetz resigned two days before the Ethics Committee was due to vote on releasing its report, which has yet to be finalized — though the panel could still vote to release it at a scheduled meeting Dec. 5.
Adding to the intrigue, Gaetz’s wife, Ginger, published a photo on Instagram of the two climbing the Capitol steps with the caption: “The end of an era.”
Gaetz’s withdrawal came after he was privy to an informal whip count showing he had “no path” to getting confirmed by the Senate, one source told The Post.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz wrote on X. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.
“Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1. I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America,” he added.
Trump also weighed in on Gaetz withdrawing his name, but did not indicate what he wanted the ex-lawmaker to do next.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
Further down the line, Gaetz has long been considered a potential contender to run to replace DeSantis as Florida governor in 2026, with one Senate GOP aide predicting last week that the drama over the AG nomination was “all a play to become a martyr to boost [his] gubernatorial prospects.”