Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he will withdraw his nomination to serve as attorney general, saying he wants to spare President-elect Donald Trump the distraction of a contentious confirmation battle.
The shocking reversal came just days after Trump chose Gaetz to head the Justice Department, sending a shockwave through Washington D.C.
The Republican had abruptly resigned from Congress last week after Trump announced he was choosing him to shake up the Justice Department, which has targeted Trump and his supporters for years.
But Gaetz's nomination met a cool reception from Republican senators, and he appeared to be heading for a contentious confirmation hearing as lawmakers in both parties demanded to see a House Ethics report on his alleged sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl.
The Justice Department spent years looking into the same claims and declined to charge Gaetz, who has long said he is the victim of a smear campaign.
The House Ethics Committee failed to agree on releasing its report Wednesday, giving Gaetz what seemed like a boost on his path to confirmation.
But in a stunning statement on X, Gaetz said the controversy over his nomination had become an unhelpful "distraction" for President-elect Trump.
"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. 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 wrote.
"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."
The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest (R-MS), said Gaetz dropping out should end the controversy over the committee's report.
"He is no longer a member of Congress, and so I think that this settles any involvement that the ethics committee should have in any matters involving Mr Gaetz," he said.
The Ethics Committee no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz, since he is a private citizen. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has opposed releasing the report, saying it would be inappropriate to publicize an investigation into a former lawmaker.
Trump shared his appreciation of Gaetz in a post on 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. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!"
While this is a temporary setback for Trump, Gaetz has left Trump with ample time to find another nominee with less baggage.
