Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Thursday said he was withdrawing from consideration as President-elect Trump’s nomination to be attorney general.
Gaetz announced the decision in a message on X, saying that while he had had “excellent meetings” with senators on Wednesday, “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
“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,” Gaetz wrote.
“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, who Trump just a week ago said he was nominating to lead the Department of Justice, was immediately the president-elect’s most controversial pick for his Cabinet.
His quick withdrawal suggests he had realized he was unlikely to win the votes necessary to be confirmed. Gaetz could only have afforded four GOP defections assuming all Democrats in the Senate opposed his nomination, and several GOP senators had signaled their discomfort with the pick.
DEVELOPING
