Matt Gaetz, who withdrew from consideration as attorney general in
Donald Trump’s cabinet over ethics allegations, says he will not return
to his seat in the US House of Representatives.
Gaetz told a conservative radio host: “I’m still going to be in the
fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch.”
A staunch Trump ally and leader of a hard-right faction in the House,
Gaetz resigned his seat shortly after being picked by the
president-elect to lead the Department of Justice.
But after eight days of scrutiny and growing uncertainty that he would
be able to get through the US Senate's confirmation process, he withdrew
his nomination on Thursday.
Prior to being chosen by Trump to serve as America's top law enforcement official, Gaetz won re-election in his House district in north-west Florida.
That meant, despite his resignation, he could have chosen to retake his
seat when a new Congress is formed in January.
But he told Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and radio host, that
he would not return to the House.
Gaetz, 42, has been the subject of allegations of human trafficking,
illegal drug use and paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old. He
denies the allegations, and a Department of Justice investigation did
not result in any criminal charges.
However, a separate House of Representative ethics investigation was
ongoing until he resigned from the chamber.
On Wednesday the House ethics committee deadlocked on a vote on whether
to release its report on Gaetz. House ethics investigations generally
end if a representative resigns or is voted out of their seat.
If Gaetz had chosen to rejoin the House, however, he may have faced
having the investigation re-opened.
In recent days, US media outlets have reported that Gaetz made
electronic payments to women using the Venmo app, allegedly in exchange
for sex.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0jgle8qnyo
Farewell Matt Gaetz. Nobody will call you anymore. To Trump you're now
the equivalent of a prisoner of war. A sucker's sucker. Although for
different reasons, I would have to agree this once.
--
"And off they went, from here to there,
The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair"
-- Traditional
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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