Embattled former congressman Matt Gaetz said he had “no intention” of returning to Congress, after withdrawing his name from being a prosecutor.

“I will still be in the fight, but it will be from a new seat,” Gaetz said in an interview published Friday with Charlie Kirk, a staunch supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and a prominent podcast host. “I’m not going to join the 119th Congress.”

He added that “eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”

In the interview, Gaetz touted his “huge momentum” in building support from Republican senators for his confirmation as attorney general, but said he spent time explaining not only his vision for the Justice Department but also that certain social media posts he made about them may have been “rash and not reflective of how I would function as Attorney General.”

On Thursday, hours after Gaetz withdrew from consideration, Trump said he would nominate Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who was part of Trump’s impeachment team.

Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration because the House Ethics Committee decided to release its report on allegations against him, which include sexual assault with a minor and illegal drug use. If the allegations in the report “are true, I would be indicted and probably in a jail cell, but of course they are false,” Gaetz said in the interview. But, he said, he didn’t have time to engage in “a months-long factual battle” because “we have to have an AG ready to go” when Trump is inaugurated.

“It was more a matter of pace than anything else,” he said. – The pace would just be too long for me.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) issued an executive order Friday setting the dates for a special election in a congressional district held by Gaetz.

The contest for the seat previously occupied by Gaetz will take place early next year.

The special primary election will take place on Jan. 28, and the special general election will be held on April 1, according to the Florida Secretary of State’s office.

“At the direction of Governor Ron DeSanti, this special election is being conducted as expeditiously as legally possible,” Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in a statement. “We are committed to making sure this election is held as soon as we are allowed to hold it under state law.”

Gaetz’s congressional seat will be vacant for nearly three months in a chamber already expected to have a razor-thin Republican majority.

In addition to the special election for Gaetz’s seat, the state of Florida is also expected to hold a special election next year to replace Rep. Mike Waltz (R), Trump’s pick for national security adviser.

Waltz has not formally resigned from Congress, and a date has not been set.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will have to schedule a special election to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik (R), Trump’s pick for UN ambassador, as the congressman steps down.

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Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.