Former Rep. Matt Gaetz dropped his bid to become President-elect Donald Trump’s next attorney general on Thursday, closing out a campaign that was dogged by sexual misconduct allegations and the specter of an unreleased ethics report.
With the Florida Republican’s withdrawal, the Senate will avoid what was shaping up to be a fiery confirmation process, with Democrats escalating their push for more information on Gaetz while some Republicans asserted the former lawmaker should be given a hearing.
Gaetz had met Wednesday with several Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gaetz, who has been accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl, has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.
“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 said in a post on social media. “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,” he said.
The withdrawal also comes one day after the House Ethics Committee announced it would not release information about its probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, and Senate Democrats requested from the FBI the “complete evidentiary file” in a closed investigation of Gaetz. A Justice Department investigation did not lead to criminal charges against him.
Trump posted on social media that he appreciated Gaetz’s efforts to seek 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,” Trump wrote. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
Some Republicans had pledged to support Gaetz’s bid, but there was uncertainty over whether he would have enough GOP support to be confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Gaetz, in recent years, had personally criticized a number of senators and once dubbed the chamber the “swampiest nursing home in America.”
Gaetz’s withdrawal opens up a key spot in the Trump administration, an official that will likely be tasked with implementing Trump’s plans to remake an agency he fumed at during the campaign trail.
Senate reactions
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said he respected Gaetz’s decision to withdraw. “I look forward to working with President Trump regarding future nominees to get this important job up and running,” Graham said in a statement.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, who is in line to lead Judiciary next year and would have handled the Gaetz confirmation hearings, told a reporter to look at his social media account for a comment.
“I respect Gaetz decision &look fwd 2helping PresTrump confirm qualified noms 2reform Dept of Justice &bring TRANSPARENCY/ACCOUNTABILITY Trump’s mission = DRAIN THE SWAMP& I would add get some1 who will answer my hundreds of outstanding oversight letters sitting at Biden DOJ/FBI,” Grassley had posted.
Numerous Republicans, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said they found out from social media or reporters that Gaetz had withdrawn.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Gaetz’s withdrawal could have reflected the meetings he had with senators on Wednesday. “I don’t know that for a fact, but I think that he has put country first,” she said.
Incoming Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters he supported Gaetz’s decision to drop out of consideration. “I’m sure he had his reasons. He had to make a decision that was the best interest of him and his family and I respect the decision,” Thune said.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who had clashed with Gaetz, said he trusts Trump’s ability “to pick some really good people, and he’s done that for his whole career, through his business career, to when he was in office last time, to his campaign.”
“Matt’s decisions were his decisions, it has nothing to do with me,” Mullin said.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on social media that he appreciates Gaetz’s “desire to ensure the success of President Trump’s transition.”
“Priority number one for the new Senate GOP majority is to confirm Trump’s team as quickly as possible when we take back the gavels in January,” Tillis said in the post.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., another Judiciary Committee member, said he was surprised by the news. “I said, ‘So double check it and make sure it’s not one of those fake news tweets.’”
“When we met we mostly talked about procedure, how a Judiciary confirmation hearing works,” Kennedy said. “We talked about the Department of Justice, and the decision under President Biden to begin weaponizing the Department of Justice … and I commented that, in my judgment, in America, we don’t prosecute our political enemies.”
Senate Judiciary Chair Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., who is poised to serve as ranking member next Congress, issued a statement Thursday that said Trump should put forward a “serious” nominee for the role.
“A qualified nominee for the highest position in law enforcement in America must be honest and complete in disclosing his background. Mr. Gaetz did not meet that standard,” Durbin’s statement said.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Gaetz “clearly got a message from his Republican colleagues.”
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