Matt Gaetz withdraws as attorney general nominee

Washington — Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is withdrawing his nomination for attorney general.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as the nation’s top law enforcement officer last week. He swiftly resigned his seat in the House and was on Capitol Hill with Vice President-elect JD Vance, an Ohio senator, meeting with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who would oversee his confirmation hearings.

Gaetz said in a social media post that while he had “excellent meetings” with senators, his confirmation battle was taking away from the work of the incoming Trump administration.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” he wrote on social media. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

He added, “I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”

In response to Gaetz’s decision, Trump wrote on social media, “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect.” 

He predicted Gaetz “has a wonderful future.” ahead. 

Gaetz’s nomination was swiftly shrouded in controversy as he was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. He denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation a “smear.” Gaetz blamed the probe on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster Gaetz helped lead last year.