After withdrawing his name from the race for U.S. attorney general, Matt Gaetz said Friday that he does not intend to rejoin Congress.

In an interview with commentator Charlie Kirk, Gaetz said, “I will still be in the fight, but it will be from a new seat. I am not going to join the 119th Congress.”

Earlier today, Gaetz withdrew from the confirmation process for the attorney general after allegations of sexual harassment were leveled against him that eventually prompted an investigation.

“I’m 42 now, and I have other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue — my wife and my family — and so I’m going to fight for President Trump,” he said. “I’ll do whatever he asks of me, as I always have, but I think eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” the former representative added.

Gaetz faced an uphill battle to win Senate confirmation for the top legal role of attorney general due to widespread opposition, including from his own Republican Party.

“As if the things that the House Ethics report (said) were true, I would be indicted and probably in a jail cell,” he said, claiming the allegations are false.

Gaetz resigned from Congress last week after President-elect Donald Trump announced that he had been selected to serve as attorney general. He cannot return to the current Congress because of his resignation.

Shortly after announcing his withdrawal, Trump tapped Pam Bondi, a staunch ally who helped defend the ex-leader against impeachment for office.

“For too long, the partisan Justice Department has been a weapon against me and other Republicans — no longer,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network when announcing Bondi’s nomination.

Bondi, 59, was a member of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial, where he was alleged to have pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using aid as leverage, to hand over political dirt on Biden.

With input from AFP