Nearly a week after announcing his controversial nomination, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has withdrawn his name “from consideration for attorney general.”
Gaetz met with several Republican senators on Wednesday to shore up support for the nomination and said that while those meetings went well, he did not want the confirmation to be a “distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance “transition”. “
He announced his decision on X:
I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. Although the momentum was powerful, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
Gaetz wrote:
I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was powerful, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition. We can’t waste time on an unnecessarily protracted brawl in Washington, so I’m withdrawing my name from consideration for attorney general. Trump’s Justice Department must be on the ground and ready on day one.
I remain fully committed to ensuring that Donald J. Trump is the most successful president in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump chose me to lead the Justice Department, and I am confident he will save America.
The move comes after numerous leaks from a closed DOJ investigation into allegations that Gaetz was involved in sex trafficking. These allegations were made by a man Politico called “Florida’s most corrupt politician ever”: Joel Greenberg, who is currently serving 10 years in federal prison for sex trafficking, identity fraud and more. Greenberg entered into a plea deal with prosecutors for his cooperation. Still, Merrick Garland’s Justice Department did not press charges, finding that Greenberg and a woman who claimed Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17 had major credibility problems. The House Ethics Committee investigated these allegations separately.
President-elect Trump commented on Truth Social:
He wrote:
I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to gain approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well, but at the same time he didn’t want to distract the government, for which he has great respect. Matt has a wonderful future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!
Although Gaetz opted out of this congressional term in anticipation of this confirmation since he was elected to a fresh two-year term on November 5, observers say he can still be elected to the fresh congressional term.
According to a tweet from Gaetz’s wife, Ginger, that may not be the plan.
The end of an era ✨ https://t.co/AdXGRnfpq9 pic.twitter.com/K04Jf29hEf
– Ginger Gaetz (@GingerLGaetz) November 21, 2024
