Matt Gaetz rescinded his nomination to become Donald Trump’s attorney general on Thursday, writing in a statement that he believed his confirmation would become a “distraction” from Trump’s second administration.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday,” Gaetz wrote on X. “I appreciate their thoughtful feedback—and the incredible support of so many. 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.
“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,” Gaetz continued. “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.”
Trump nominated the remarkably unpopular Florida politico to become the country’s attorney general last week, a decision that would have effectively handed the keys to the Justice Department to a man facing sex trafficking allegations.
But Gaetz’s confirmation seemed increasingly unlikely in the days since his nomination. He faced immense opposition from inside his own party at a time when any of Trump’s nominees for his upcoming Cabinet can only afford to lose three Republican votes during their Senate confirmation process.
By Friday, estimates from inside the upper chamber predicted that Gaetz could face anywhere from 12 Republican “no” votes to upward of 30, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Gaetz resigned from Congress last week after his nomination was announced, abruptly crushing a House Ethics Committee probe investigating reports that Gaetz had sex with an underage girl.
He reportedly pulled his nomination Thursday just minutes after CNN reached out to the ex-lawmaker for comment on a bombshell revelation that the Ethics Committee had been notified of a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and the same 17-year-old.
In a statement following Gaetz’s withdrawal, Trump said he had “much respect” for the Florida politician for minimizing the distraction and predicted Gaetz would have a “wonderful future.”
Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration for attorney general now leaves him completely out of power. He could attempt to run in his district’s special election to recoup his lost seat in the House, though it’s unclear if doing so would reignite the Ethics investigation into his alleged misconduct.
This story has been updated.
