Matt Gaetz Withdraws as Attorney General Candidate, Says “Trump’s DOJ Needs to Be There and Ready on Day 1”

Washington – Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is withdrawing his nomination for attorney general.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz led the Justice Department last week as the nation’s top law enforcement official. He quickly resigned his seat in the House and moved on Capitol Hill On Wednesday, Vice President-elect JD Vance, a senator from Ohio, met with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which would oversee his confirmation hearings.

Gaetz said in a social media post that while he had “excellent meetings” with senators, his confirmation battle took away from the work of the new Trump administration.

“While momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” he wrote on social media. “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 DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

He added: “I remain fully committed to ensuring 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 am confident he will save America.”

In response to Gaetz’s decision, Trump wrote on social media: “I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts in obtaining approval to become Attorney General. He did a very good job, but at the same time he didn’t want to be a distraction for the government, for which he has a lot of respect.”

He predicted that Gaetz “has a bright future.” forward.

Gaetz’s appointment was quickly shrouded in controversy as he was investigated by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. He denied all allegations and called the investigation a “smear.” Gaetz blamed the investigation on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expulsion Gaetz helped lead the way last year.

The Justice Department also investigated Gaetz following allegations of sex trafficking and obstruction. Prosecutors refused to charge Gaetz last year.

Several senators expressed concern about Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general, raising doubts that he would win confirmation even if Republicans were in control of the Senate in the next Congress, which begins in January. Some subsequently indicated that his decision to remove himself as a candidate for attorney general was the right one.

“I think the decision to withdraw the nomination is the right decision,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota. He continued: “I thought from the beginning, as I said before, I thought it was problematic. And I think you know, as some of our members have indicated, as they’ve learned more about it, maybe some information came out. that the President was not aware of when he made the original recommendation.”

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he was “grateful” Gaetz withdrew, while Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said there were “a lot of warning signs.”

“I think he put the country first, and I’m happy with his decision,” she said.

It’s the first major blow to Trump’s efforts to fill his own Cabinet and key administrative posts for his second term. The president-elect’s choice for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is also under scrutiny after he accused of sexual abuse a woman in 2017. A police report details provided of the incident, which Hegseth said at the time was consensual. He has denied wrongdoing.

Trump’s announcement of Gaetz as his pick for attorney general came just two days before the Ethics Commission set to meet to discuss whether to issue a report detailing the years-long investigation into the Florida Republican. Because he resigned from his position in the House of Representatives after his election to lead the Justice Department, the committee’s jurisdiction over Gaetz ended, raising questions about whether the panel’s report would be released.

The Ethics Committee met on Wednesday and discussed the publication of the report. But lawmakers said the panel, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, no agreement reached. The committee planned to meet again on December 5 “to further discuss this matter,” Representative Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters after the first meeting.

The Ethics Committee said in June that it was investigating allegations against Gaetz of sexual misconduct and drug use, accepting improper gifts and granting “special privileges and favors,” and obstructing the investigation into his conduct. House investigators interviewed more than a dozen witnesses and issued 25 subpoenas, the committee said in a rare statement.

Multiple sources told CBS News at the time that four women told the committee they had been paid to go to parties Gaetz attended, which also featured sex and drugs. A lawyer for two women who spoke to the panel told CBS News on Monday that they testified that Gaetz directly and repeatedly paid them for sex, and said that Venmo transactions for the encounters were obtained by the Ethics Commission.

The attorney, Joel Leppard, also said the women told House of Representatives investigators that Gaetz used text messages asking for “party favors” and “vitamins” at upcoming parties, which was believed to be code for drugs. One of Leppard’s clients testified before the Ethics Committee that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old against a gaming table during a party in July 2017, months after he was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives.

Leppard said after Gaetz’s withdrawal that his “clients are relieved that this chapter is behind them and are eager to move on with their lives. We are hopeful that this will provide final closure for all parties involved.”

Confirmation hearings for Gaetz before the Judiciary Committee would not have taken place until early next year, but Republican and Democratic senators have insisted on seeing the Ethics Commission report as they considered his nomination.

On Wednesday, 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to turn over the full evidence in the now-closed federal sex trafficking investigation involving Gaetz.

Republican Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the Ethics Committee, said Gaetz’s decision to remove himself from consideration ends his panel’s involvement.

“I think this should put an end to the discussion about whether or not the Ethics Commission should continue to move forward on this issue,” he told reporters. ‘He has withdrawn his appointment. He is no longer a member of Congress, and therefore I believe this resolves any possible involvement of the Ethics Commission in matters involving Mr. Gaetz.”

contributed to this report.