Gaetz withdraws as Attorney General nominee following backlash by some Republicans

CV NEWS FEED // Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, on Thursday withdrew his bid to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the country’s next attorney general, just eight days after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for the post.

The Republican Party will reassume control of the Senate in January, holding 53 seats. Despite the party’s majority, some moderate members of the Senate Republican Conference had reservations about Gaetz’s nomination.

In a post to X (formerly Twitter) Thursday afternoon, Gaetz wrote that he “had excellent meetings with Senators” the day before. “I appreciate their thoughtful feedback and the incredible support of so many.”

“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 continued:

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.    

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 concluded.

Following Gaetz’s decision, Trump wrote in a post to TRUTH Social: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General.”

“He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect,” the president-elect continued. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

An individual described as an “insider” told The New York Post that Gaetz withdrew because he “didn’t have the votes” in the Senate “and realized it.”

The Post reported that Gaetz withdrew with a “potentially damning congressional ethics report still hanging over his head.” 

The conservative former lawmaker’s critics have accused him “of alleged drug abuse and sexual misconduct, among other transgressions,” the Post noted:

Female witnesses who testified to both federal and congressional investigators alleged that the then-congressman had sex with them for money — making more than $10,000 in Venmo payments, according to transaction records obtained by ABC News.

…

Gaetz has vehemently denied all allegations, saying the claims from witnesses “are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress” and “should be viewed with great skepticism.”

Gaetz represented northwestern Florida in Congress from 2017 until his resignation last week – the day Trump nominated him for attorney general.

CatholicVote indicated that during his tenure, Gaetz has “established himself as a steadfast defender of Trump against attacks by Democrats” and “a prominent member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.”

“An attorney by trade, Gaetz has described himself as a ‘firebrand’ congressman, and has been extensively critical of the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ),” CatholicVote added. 

While Gaetz will not become the nation’s top prosecutor, there is some speculation that he might return to his former Congressional seat in a month and a half – to which he was re-elected in a landslide on November 5.

Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman pointed out on X that Gaetz resigned from the current Congressional term, which ends in January, but that he can theoretically still assume his seat in the next one.