Matt Gaetz is stepping down from Trump’s job as attorney general, avoiding a confirmation battle

ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
| Associated Press

Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following an ongoing review of a federal sex trafficking investigation which questioned his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer.

The abrupt withdrawal is a setback for Trump’s efforts to install staunch loyalists in his incoming administration, but also an acknowledgment of the resistance the Republican is already facing from members of his own party to a checkered election. By bowing out, Gaetz avoided what was shaping up to be a confirmation battle that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks.

The Florida Republican’s announcement came a day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to head the Justice Department.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation has unfairly become a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” Gaetz said in a statement announcing his decision. “There is no time to waste with an unnecessarily prolonged argument in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from consideration for the position of attorney general. Trump’s DOJ needs to be in place and ready on day 1.”

Trump, in a social media post, said: “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, he didn’t want to be a distraction to the Administration, for which he has a lot of respect. Matt has a great future and I look forward to watching all the great things he does!”

Gaetz’s announcement came days after an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was Congressman from Florida.

One of the women testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old boy at a party in Florida in 2017, according to attorney Joel Leppard. Leppard said his client testified that she did not believe Gaetz knew the girl was a minor, broke off their relationship when she found out and did not resume until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex-trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges against him.

Gaetz’s political future is uncertain at this point.

He abruptly resigned his congressional seat after being elected to be attorney general. The move was seen as a way to close the ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Republicans on the committee this week declined to release their findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee agreed to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again on December 5 to discuss the matter.

Gaetz won re-election in November to the new Congress, which meets on January 3, 2025. But it is unclear whether he will take office. There are plans for a special election in Florida for his seat.