Matt Gaetz drops out of consideration for attorney general: ‘There is no time to waste’
Former congressman and Trump loyalist said investigation into allegation he had sex with minor was a ‘distraction’
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Your support makes all the difference.Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz announced on Thursday that he would end his bid to be Donald Trump’s attorney general.
“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,” tweeted Gaetz. “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 added: “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.”
His confirmation process was easily set to be the most controversial and politically divisive of any of those selected to be the incoming president’s Cabinet secretaries. On his fourth term in the House of Representatives, Gaetz was once investigated by the very Department of Justice he sought to lead for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a party in 2017, during his very first term in office. Witnesses testified to seeing the encounter, which Gaetz has strongly denied ever occurred.
The Florida Republican resigned from the current Congress as it was announced last week that he would seek the nomination for attorney general. In his letter, he also announced that he would not take his seat in the 119th Congress when it takes shape in January.
The timing of his resignation and subsequent nomination provoked a wave of shock across Washington. The House Ethics Committee, which had undertaken its own extensive investigation of Gaetz’s activities and the allegations against him, was due to release its report just two days after he announced he was stepping down effective immediately. That decision ended the committee’s jurisdiction to continue the investigation, and has thrown into question whether the report will be released at all.
President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement on Thursday shortly after Gaetz’s announcement.
“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,” wrote Trump. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
This is a breaking news story. More to follow...
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