Matt Gaetz drops bid for Trump attorney general in face of Senate opposition

Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as president-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, in the face of opposition from the Senate Republicans whose support he would have needed to win the job.

Gaetz, who resigned from the US House of Representatives last week, was the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of having sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied wrongdoing.

“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 in a post on X. “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

Gaetz, who was nominated last week, faced questions over his qualifications to serve as the country’s top police official and his past conduct. He was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years into potential sex trafficking violations, an inquiry that ended last year without charges being brought.

Some Republican senators expressed misgivings about his nomination, though none had said publicly they would outright oppose him.

Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis said Gaetz’s decision would give Trump the opportunity to nominate an attorney general “with fewer headwinds in the Senate”.

Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party.