Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) revealed that he is withdrawing his name from consideration for Attorney General under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
Gaetz shared on X Thursday that he met with senators this week and after feedback, he felt his nomination was “becoming 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,” he wrote.
Gaetz added: “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. 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.”
Gaetz resigned from Congress hours after he was nominated by Trump. He would have likely faced an “uphill” battle to becoming the next attorney general. Gaetz is facing allegations that he previously paid two women for sex, which he has denied.
Trump responded to the news, writing on Truth Social: “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. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
