U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said he will not run for elective office. That comes after the highly respected federal prosecutor announced on Wednesday, that he’ll step down at the end of June.

In a 35-minute press conference Thursday, the somewhat media-averse Fitzgerald talked to reporters about why he’s stepping down.

“Am I rushing out in the 11th year of my four year term?” joked Fitzgerald. “That sort of tells you something.  I’ve been squatting for 7 years.”

Fitzgerald said term limits serve a purpose and it will be good for the office to have a new leader. He said he just knows it’s a good time to move on even if he can’t fully articulate why. But he was pretty clear that that move will not take him into politics.

“I’m not wired to campaign for anything or run for elective office, period,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said it’s important to have honest elected officials and he said we have many but that’s not the job for him. He said he loves public service and would carefully consider any government jobs that might be offered in the future.