Matt Gaetz withdraws as attorney general nominee

Washington — Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is withdrawing his nomination for attorney general.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Gaetz to lead the Justice Department as the nation’s top law enforcement officer last week. He swiftly resigned his seat in the House and was on Capitol Hill with Vice President-elect JD Vance, an Ohio senator, meeting with Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who would oversee his confirmation hearings.

Gaetz said in a social media post that while he had “excellent meetings” with senators, his confirmation battle was taking away from the work of the incoming Trump administration.

“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 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 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.”

In response to Gaetz’s decision, Trump wrote on social media, “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.” 

He predicted Gaetz “has a wonderful future.” ahead. 

Gaetz’s nomination was swiftly shrouded in controversy as he was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. He denied any wrongdoing and called the investigation a “smear.” Gaetz blamed the probe on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster Gaetz helped lead last year.

The Justice Department also conducted an investigation into Gaetz involving allegations of sex trafficking and obstruction. Prosecutors declined to charge Gaetz last year.

Trump’s announcement of Gaetz as his pick for attorney general came just two days before the Ethics Committee was set to meet to discuss whether to release a report detailing its years-long investigation into the Florida Republican. Because he stepped down from his position in the House upon his selection to lead the Justice Department, the committee’s jurisdiction over Gaetz ended, raising questions about whether the panel’s report would be released. 

The Ethics Committee did convene Wednesday and considered the report’s release. But lawmakers said the panel, divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, did not reach agreement. The committee planned to reconvene on Dec. 5 “to further consider this matter,” Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters after the initial meeting.

The Ethics Committee said in June that it was looking into allegations against Gaetz of sexual misconduct and drug use, accepting improper gifts and giving “special privileges and favors,” and obstructing the investigations into his conduct. House investigators interviewed more than a dozen witnesses and issued 25 subpoenas, the committee said in a rare statement. 

Multiple sources told CBS News at the time that four women told the committee that they had been paid to go to parties attended by Gaetz that included sex and drugs. A lawyer for two women who spoke with the panel told CBS News on Monday that they testified that Gaetz paid them directly and repeatedly for sex, and said Venmo transactions for the encounters were obtained by the Ethics Committee.

The attorney, Joel Leppard, also said the women told House investigators that Gaetz asked about “party favors” and “vitamins” at upcoming parties via text messages, which was understood to be code for drugs. One of Leppard’s clients testified before the Ethics Committee that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old against a game table during a July 2017 party, months after he was sworn in as a House member.

Confirmation hearings for Gaetz before the Judiciary Committee would not have taken place until early next year, but Republican and Democratic senators have been pushing to see the Ethics Committee’s report as they considered his nomination.

On Wednesday, 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to turn over the full evidentiary file in the now-closed federal sex trafficking probe involving Gaetz.

But now that Gaetz is no longer under consideration for attorney general and is not a member of the House, it is unclear whether the Ethics Committee’s report will be made public.