Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration Thursday to serve as Donald Trump’s attorney general amid intense investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, ending the brief appointment of one of Trump’s most controversial cabinet choices.
Related: Who is Matt Gaetz, the Trump loyalist picked as attorney general?
After meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Gaetz determined that his nomination was “becoming a distraction from the critical work” of the new Trump administration, he explained on X.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted scuffle in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from serving as attorney general. Trump’s [justice department] needs to be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz said.
“I remain fully committed to making Donald J. Trump the most successful president in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice, and I am confident he will save America.”
The announcement comes just over a week after Trump said he was nominating Gaetz to be attorney general, the United States’ top law enforcement official.
Gaetz, a close Trump ally disliked by some fellow Republicans in Congress, always faced an uphill battle to be confirmed. He was under intense investigation last week over allegations that he had sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl.
The Justice Department declined to charge Gaetz last year as part of a sex trafficking investigation. But details about his meeting and relationships began to trickle out. Just before he announced he would withdraw his nomination, CNN reported that the 17-year-old woman he allegedly had sex with told the House Ethics Committee that a second sexual encounter with Gaetz had occurred.
ABC News and the New York Times reported earlier this week on data from Venmo transactions that linked Gaetz to women who said he paid them for sex.
Gaetz’s announcement comes a day after the House ethics committee deadlocked over releasing its report on the allegations. At least one House Democrat on the committee, Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois, said Thursday that he would continue to push for the full release of the Gaetz report.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump, who reportedly called on senators to lobby for Gaetz’s confirmation, said that “Matt has a bright future.”
“I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts in obtaining approval to become attorney general,” he wrote. “He did a very good job, but at the same time he did not want to be a distraction for the government, for which he has a lot of respect. Matt has a bright future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!”
Gaetz, a close Trump ally known for his theatrics such as wearing a gas mask on the House floor, resigned from Congress the day Trump announced his nomination. It is unclear who Trump will now choose to lead the Justice Department, which Trump has promised to use to prosecute his enemies.
Gaetz’s withdrawal comes as his pick to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth, faces allegations of sexual assault. A police report made public this week details a woman’s allegations about a 2017 encounter with Hegseth in which she says he took her phone, blocked her from leaving his hotel room and sexually assaulted her. Hegseth has denied the allegations.
“Matt Gaetz was a ridiculous, terrible and dangerous AG selection. That Republican senators were unwilling to approve his nomination is a hopeful sign that some degree of common sense still prevails in Washington,” Robert Weissman, co-chairman of Public Citizen, a watchdog group, said in a statement. “But Gaetz wasn’t the only Trump nomination that threatened America, and there is every reason to worry about who Trump will appoint in Gaetz’s place.”
