Washington – Former Florida representative Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is withdrawing his nomination for attorney general.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as the nation’s top law enforcement official last week. He quickly resigned from his position in the House and continued Capitol Hill with Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ohio senator, meeting with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who will oversee his confirmation hearing.
Gaetz said in a social media post that while he had a “very good meeting” with senators, the confirmation battle took away the work of the incoming Trump administration.
“As momentum grows stronger, it is clear that my confirmation is unfairly a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” he wrote on social media. “There is no time to waste in a needlessly protracted scuffle in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
He added, “I remain very committed to seeing that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will always be honored if President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I believe he will Save America.”
In response to Gaetz’s decision, Trump wrote on social media, “I appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to get approval to be Attorney General. He did a good job but, at the same time, didn’t want to be a distraction. Administration, which I have a lot of respect for.”
He predicted Gaetz “has a great future.” front.
Gaetz’s nomination was quickly shrouded in controversy as he was investigated by House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual acts and illegal drug use. He denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation a “smear”. Gaetz blamed the probe on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which expel Gaetz helped lead last year.
The Justice Department is also conducting an investigation into Gaetz involving allegations of sex trafficking and obstruction. prosecutor refused to charge Gaetz last year.
Trump’s announcement of Gaetz as his attorney general pick comes just two days before the Ethics Committee set to meet to discuss whether to publish a report detailing the year-long investigation to the Republic of Florida. Because he resigned from his House post when he was selected to lead the Justice Department, the committee’s jurisdiction over Gaetz ended, raising questions about whether the panel’s report will ever be released.
The Ethics Committee met Wednesday and considered the release of the report. But lawmakers say the panel, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, did not reach an agreement. The committee plans to reconvene on Dec. 5 “to further consider this matter,” Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters after the initial meeting.
Ethics Committee said in June who was looking into allegations against Gaetz of sexual misconduct and drug use, receiving inappropriate gifts and giving “special privileges and favors,” and obstructing investigating in action. Housing 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 for parties Gaetz attended that included sex and drugs. A lawyer for two women who spoke with the panel told CBS News on Friday who testified that Gaetz paid directly and repeatedly for sex, and said the Venmo transaction to meet was taken by the Ethics Committee.
The lawyer, Joel Leppard, also said the woman told House investigators that Gaetz asked about “party favors” and “vitamins” at an upcoming party via text message, which she said was coded for drugs. One of Leppard’s clients testified before the Ethics Committee he witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old against the game table during a July 2017 party, a month after he was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives.
A confirmation hearing for Gaetz before the Judiciary Committee won’t take place until early next year, but Republican and Democratic senators have pushed to see the Ethics Committee report when considering a nomination.
On Wednesday, 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to turn over the full evidence file in the now-closed federal sex-trafficking investigation involving Gaetz.
But now that Gaetz is no longer under consideration for attorney general and is no longer a member of the House of Representatives, it is unclear whether the Ethics Committee report will be made public.
