Matt Gaetz, who resigned as attorney general in Donald Trump’s administration amid allegations over ethics issues, 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 join the fight, but it will be from a new position.”

Gaetz, a staunch Trump ally and leader of a far-right faction in the House of Representatives, resigned shortly after being picked by the president-elect to lead the Justice Department.

But after eight days of scrutiny and increasing uncertainty about whether he could pass the US Senate confirmation process, he withdrew his nomination on Thursday.

Before being selected by Trump as America’s top law enforcement official, Gaetz won reelection in his House district in northwest Florida.

That meant that, despite resigning, he could have chosen to regain his seat if a new Congress were formed in January.

But he told Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and radio host, that he would not return to the House of Representatives.

“There are some amazing people from Florida who have run for my seat, people who have inspired me with their heroism, with their public service,” Gaetz said. “And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida reaching new heights and having great representation.

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

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 Justice Department investigation has not led to criminal charges.

However, a separate House of Representatives ethics investigation was underway until he resigned from the chamber.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives Ethics Committee deadlocked on a vote on whether to release its report on Gaetz. Ethics investigations in the House of Representatives generally end when a representative resigns or is voted out of his seat.

However, if Gaetz had chosen to rejoin the House of Representatives, he might have faced a reopening of the investigation.

In recent days, US media outlets have reported that Gaetz has made electronic payments to women using the Venmo app, allegedly in exchange for sex.

Gaetz said, “If the things the House Ethics report (said) were true, I would be indicted and probably in a jail cell.

“But of course they are false, because when you test them against other documents, when you test them against other testimonies, it all falls apart very quickly.”

BBC News has not confirmed the veracity of the report or the allegations it contains.

Trump selected Gaetz as attorney general because of his desire to make changes at the Justice Department — which had also been investigating the Florida congressman for several years.

The president-elect claims he has been treated unfairly by the US legal establishment and said Gaetz would end the “weaponization” of the justice system.

But critics alleged Gaetz would use his post to pursue Trump’s personal vendettas. He also faced skepticism from moderate Republican senators and Democrats.

The fact that many members of his own party openly dislike Gaetz — in part because of his successful bid to unseat Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023 and other political stunts — made his path to confirmation even more difficult.

In his place, Trump has said he plans to appoint former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as attorney general.

On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set the timeline for the special election to fill the vacancy in the state’s 1st District, where Gaetz won two-thirds of the vote in the election earlier this month.

The party primaries will be held on January 28, while the general election will take place on April 1, 2025.

At least six Republicans and one Democrat have said they will enter the race, according to local news reports.