By DAVID BAUDER
NEW YORK (AP) — Following the short-circuited effort to become President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, Matt Gaetz is joining the conservative One America News Network to host a weeknight political talk show.
The network said Tuesday that Gaetz’s new one-hour show will air at 9 p.m. Eastern, starting in January. He will also co-host a weekly video podcast with OANN’s Dan Ball.
The former Florida congressman was chosen to be Trump’s new attorney general but withdrew his name from consideration when scrutiny over sex-trafficking allegations made his chances to be confirmed by the Senate questionable.
But with a burgeoning conservative media ecosystem, there’s often a space for a figure who receives criticism from the mainstream media. His hiring is a big step for OANN, which has limited television distribution and generally lives in the shadow of Fox News Channel and Newsmax in the competition for conservative viewers.
His time slot — prime real estate in the cable news world — reflects the high expectations that OANN has for the show, said Charles Herring, network president.
“Mr. Gaetz will provide extensive insights and analysis of the incoming administration for our viewers,” Herring said.
He said the podcast is an illustration of how OANN is using other media forms, including streaming, podcasts and social media, to increase its visibility.
Gaetz was replaced as Trump’s attorney general nominee by Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general. Gaetz was investigated by the U.S. Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct involving underage girls, a charge that he has vehemently denied.
David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
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