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Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday he will not be part of the new Congress when it convenes early next year despite handily winning re-election earlier this month — though he does have a plan to line his pockets in the meantime.

“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 Donald 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.”

“I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said. 


  Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz revealed on Friday that he will not be part of the new Congress when it convenes early next year. X / @charliekirk11 Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz revealed on Friday that he will not be part of the new Congress when it convenes early next year. X / @charliekirk11

“I plan to be a big voice, but maybe not as an elected member of the government.”

Shortly after the interview aired, Gaetz joined Cameo, a website that allows users to purchase custom videos from notable people like celebrities, politicians and athletes.

I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker.”


  Gaetz resigned from Congress on Nov. 13 after Trump announced him as his pick for attorney general. Bloomberg via Getty Images Gaetz resigned from Congress on Nov. 13 after Trump announced him as his pick for attorney general. Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Gaetz Cameos start at $500 a pop — and could be a lucrative source of income for Gaetz’s rumored gubernatorial campaign in the Sunshine State in 2026.

Expelled Rep. George Santos (R-NY) revealed to The Post in a May interview that he had raked in more than $600,000 since his House ouster in December 2023.

Gaetzresigned from the House of Representatives on Nov. 13, hours after Trump, 78, announced him as his pick to run the Justice Department.

The Floridian announced he was bowing out of consideration for the cabinet post after it became clear he could not win over enough skeptical Republican senators to be confirmed, due in part to a pending House ethics report into allegations that Gaetz had engaged in sex with a minor, used illicit drugs and taken bribes — among other transgressions.

“If the things that the House Ethics report were true, I would be under indictment and probably in a prison cell,” Gaetz told Kirk, calling the probe a Washington “smear” campaign. 

Gaetz also said he made the decision to drop out after realizing his critics, which he said were “handpicked” by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — were going to delay his confirmation to a point where the “pace was just going to be too long.”

He added that Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and Trump’s choice to oversee DOJ, will be “fantastic” in her role.

Sunshine State Gov. Ron DeSantis must now announce the date of special elections to replace Gaetz and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), whom Trump tapped to serve as national security adviser.

DeSantis must also appoint someone to fill the Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, who is expected to resign early next year to become Trump’s secretary of state.

Gaetz did not reveal exactly what he would be doing now that he’s out of Congress, but mentioned that he has other things to focus on, like his wife Ginger.

He also said he would be working to recruit “patriots” to fill Trump’s team and will be “scouring for talent.”

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