He made the announcement after accusations of having sex with an underage woman in 2017
Former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz is withdrawing from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, he said in a post on X Thursday.
The former Florida lawmaker said he made the decision after meeting with senators Wednesday.
“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 wrote. “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.”
Trump’s selection of Gaetz came under heavy scrutiny, as the House Ethics Committee weighed releasing a report on allegations of wrongdoing, including “sexual misconduct and illicit drug use,” by the Republican.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
This post has been updated with additional details on Gaetz and his statement.
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