Matt Gaetz to become anchor on pro-Trump network after failed attorney general nod

Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman who was briefly in contention to be Donald Trump’s next attorney general, is now reportedly set to join the conservative channel One America News Network (OAN) as an anchor.

CNN national correspondent Kristen Holmes first reported the development on Monday citing an unnamed source, which appeared to explain a cryptic post by Gaetz’s wife Ginger on X on Sunday that read simply: “Big news coming next week!”

CNN’s chief media analyst Brian Stelter subsequently reported that he had asked OAN’s president Charles Herring to confirm Gaetz’s appointment, only for Herring to decline to comment.

However, a webpage for “The Matt Gaetz Show” was live on the network’s official website complete with banner and promotional artwork as of Tuesday morning.

OAN has since confirmed to The Independent that Gaetz, 42, “will be joining OAN’s prime-time lineup in January” and “hosting a one-hour political talk show every weeknight” that will air from 6pm PT and 9pm ET.

“With Gaetz rounding out OAN’s prime-time lineup, the network is poised for a groundbreaking 2025, reaffirming its mission to deliver credible, independent news and unfiltered commentary to audiences across the nation,” the network said in a statement.

OAN hailed its new acqusition as a politician who has “earned a reputation as a relentless champion of conservative values, taking on entrenched Washington bureaucrats and exposing government overreach” and revealed he will also “take the lead in engaging younger audiences by co-hosting a weekly video podcast with Dan Ball” that will “deliver fresh perspectives and unfiltered conversations tailored for Millennials, late Gen Z, and early Gen Xers”.

In Washington, Gaetz has built a profile for himself as a MAGA firebrand known for his role in the ousting of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and remains a firm favorite with Trump’s base.

Last month, he was named as the president-elect’s preferred candidate to lead the Justice Department.

He stepped down from Congress immediately after Trump’s announcement, just two days before the House Ethics Committee was set to release its report into allegations that he had had sex with an underage girl and used recreational drugs.

Gaetz repeatedly denied those claims and has not been charged with a crime.

But the revived scandal sank his chances of joining Trump’s administration, with Senate Republicans voicing disquiet ahead of his confirmation hearings in January.

Realizing he lacked the necessary support on Capitol Hill, Gaetz reluctantly withdrew from the process and Trump reacted by appointing the more experienced ex-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in his place.

The House panel has since decided against publishing the findings of its probe.

McCarthy, who remains a bitter enemy of Gaetz, appeared on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox News show on Sunday morning to attack him for “lying” to Trump about his past.

He argued that the whole episode had provided Gaetz with a convenient excuse to step away from DC before the ethics report could see the light of day.

“People know that’s why he’s not capable of even staying in Congress,” McCarthy said.

“He needed an excuse to resign because the ethics report would be done in a couple days.”

Gaetz is not the only one of the president-elect’s nominees to his incoming administration to find themselves dogged by past scandals.

Trump’s choice for defense secretary, former Fox News weekend anchor Pete Hegseth, has faced repeated questions about a past sexual assault allegation, his alleged alcoholism and comments on women in the armed forces.

Tulsi Gabbard, his pick for director of national intelligence, is also under fire over her past support for deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.