Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is removing himself from consideration for President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for U.S. attorney general.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz stated on his X account.
Despite significant progress, Gaetz acknowledged that his potential confirmation had become a distraction. “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,” said the former Florida Republican congressman.
“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,” he added.
The Trump transition team has yet to comment on the matter, despite a request from CNBC.
Gaetz’s nomination drew renewed attention to past allegations of sexual misconduct and other impropriety, which had been previously investigated by the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee.
