By Allan Lengel
As days passed, and the controversy and opposition seemed to mount, it became evident former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz had little choice but to do what he did Thursday — withdraw his bid for Attorney General.
“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,” he wrote on X. “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.”
ABC News reports at least four Republican senators made it clear to the Trump transition team that they would have a problem backing Gaetz.
His withdrawal saved an embarrassment for the incoming Trump administration, which would have likely lost the power struggle with the Senate to confirm the controversial pick.
It also came on the day the New York Times published a story titled, “Federal Inquiry Traced Payments From Gaetz to Women.” The story says those who received money from Gaetz included two women who have testified that he hired them for sex.
Many on Capitol Hill, and for that matter far beyond, thought Gaetz was unqualified for the post, particularly considering he had only practiced law for two years before jumping into politics.
Trump responded on Truth Social thanking Gaetz for his efforts and telling him he has a great future.