Former Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he was removing himself from consideration to become President-elect Donald Trump‘s attorney general, ending a weeklong fixation in Washington on Trump’s surprise choice to lead the Justice Department.
Gaetz said in a statement that after meeting with numerous senators and attracting a barrage of media reports over his controversial nomination, it had become apparent that his confirmation pursuit was “unfairly becoming a distraction.”
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz said. “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.”
Gaetz, a confrontational conservative firebrand, came under intense scrutiny for DOJ and House Ethics Committee investigations related to sex trafficking allegations and sexual relations with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing, but the inquiries captivated Washington in the wake of his nomination.
“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,” Gaetz said. “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
The DOJ declined to prosecute Gaetz last year, and the House Ethics Committee had not yet completed its inquiry into Gaetz when his nomination was announced.
But documents and interviews from the inquiries leaked to the media brought to light that Gaetz, 42, paid various women thousands of dollars, allegedly for sex, and that he allegedly had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old while he was a freshman in Congress. CNN reported that Gaetz’s withdrawal announcement came less than an hour after the outlet contacted him saying it planned to report on a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and the teenage minor.