Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he was dropping out of the running to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, saying the confirmation process had become a “distraction.”
In a statement, the former congressman said that while he felt the “momentum was strong,” it had become “clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.” Writing that “there is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle” and that “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz said he would be withdrawing his name from consideration. 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.”
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The “distraction” in question, of course, pertains to the allegations that Gaetz had paid women for sex and had sex with a minor. While a Justice Department investigation into the matter had been dropped, the House Committee on Ethics had conducted its own probe into the accusations, and it was set to release a report on on its findings before Trump nominated Gaetz to serve as attorney general. At that point, Gaetz resigned from Congress and it appeared the report would not see the light of day; on Wednesday the ethics panel voted against releasing it.
Since Gaetz was nominated to run the Justice Department, a number of details concerning what the ethics committee was told have emerged. According to a lawyer representing two women who spoke to the House panel, Gaetz had allegedly paid them $10,000 for, among other things, sex. One of those women also reportedly told the panel that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied all of these accusations against him.
It’s not clear what happens to the longtime Trump ally now. Obviously, he can’t just take away his resignation notice. According to state law, a special election must be held to fill his now vacant seat in Congress. Presumably, Gaetz could enter that election, but it also seems possible that Trump will give him a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
Before Gaetz dropped out of the running, Trump seemed intent on ramming his nominations through, whether or not the individuals in question were qualified for the specific jobs, having demanded the Senate allow him to make recess appointments. On Wednesday, Senator Lindsey Graham urged his colleagues “not to join the lynch mob” mob against Gaetz, saying they should “give the [confirmation] process a chance to move forward.”
