WASHINGTON – Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is resigning days after securing the appointment as President-elect Donald Trump’s planned nominee for attorney general.
Gaetz’s path to Senate confirmation was highly unlikely after years of investigations into alleged drug operate and payments for sex, including with an underage girl. Last week he submitted his resignation to Congress.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” Gaetz wrote a social media post. “We cannot waste time on an unnecessarily protracted melee in Washington, which is why I am withdrawing my name from consideration for attorney general. Trump’s DOJ needs to be on the ground and ready on day one.”
Trump posted on social media Afterward, he said that he “very much” appreciated Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to gain approval for attorney general.
“He was doing very well, but at the same time he didn’t want to distract the administration, for which he has great respect,” Trump wrote. “Matt has a wonderful future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!”
When asked whether the Trump-Vance transition team had another candidate to choose from and whether it viewed Gaetz’s withdrawal as a setback, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not provide any information.
“President Trump remains committed to choosing a Justice Department leader who will vigorously defend the Constitution and end the weaponization of our justice system. “President Trump will announce his new decision as soon as it is made,” Leavitt said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.
The House Ethics Committee coordinated across party lines On Wednesday, the commission will not release its report on Gaetz after a more than three-year investigation. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including allegations that he had sex with a minor.
Meeting with Senators
Trump’s nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, spent Wednesday shuffling Gaetz between meetings with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where his confirmation hearing would have taken place. Republicans will control the Senate in the modern session of Congress starting in January.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, wrote on social media that he respected Gaetz’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration for AG.
“I look forward to working with President Trump on future nominations to begin this important task,” Graham said.
GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, incoming Judiciary Committee Chairman, posted on “Respond to my hundreds of pending oversight letters at Biden DOJ/FBI.”
Grassley’s staff referred States Newsroom to the social media post when the news outlet reached out for comment.
The offices of Sens. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, also Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, declined to comment.
Gaetz’s future is unclear as he resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives last week, telling the chamber that he does not plan to take the oath of office for the upcoming 119th Congress.
He first joined the House in January 2017 and last year led the effort to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from that post, sparking a month-long standoff within the House Republican Conference over who should lead the party.
The race to fill his empty seat in a special election has already begun attracted six candidatespredominantly Republicans in a heavily conservative district.
Gaetz could enter the race for his ancient seat and potentially win back a spot in the House of Representatives next year after the special election.
He may also seek to take the oath of office when the next session of Congress begins on January 3, as he wrote in his resignation letter that he “has no intention of taking the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress, the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration.”
That would give the House Ethics Committee the authority to complete its report on Gaetz and release it publicly.
AG oversees the Justice Department
The attorney general is responsible for overseeing the Department of Justice, which includes the federal government’s major law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
The 40 agencies include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office on Violence Against Women, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices the DOJ and its 115,000 employees.
Congress approved $37.52 billion for the Justice Department in the most recent full-year budget proposal.
During his first term as president, Trump had two attorneys general. He first nominated former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, whom Trump later fired over disputes, and then Bill Barr.
Ashley Murray contributed to this story.
Last updated on November 21, 2024 at 3:03 p.m
