Gaetz withdraws as Attorney-General nominee over backlash

Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general after the former lawmaker faced opposition from Senate Republicans over his past conduct.

Gaetz, who resigned from the US House of Representatives last week, was the subject of an Ethics Committee probe into allegations of having relations with an underage 17-year-old girl. He has denied wrongdoing.

Trump said on Thursday he would nominate former Florida Attorney General and loyalist Pam Bondi to be US Attorney General instead of 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," Gaetz, a Republican, wrote in a post on X. "Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1."

Republicans in the Senate had bristled at the idea of being asked to vote on Gaetz without seeing the findings of the House Ethics Committee's investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct. Gaetz, in a post on X, said he wanted to avoid becoming a distraction to the incoming Trump administration.

Gaetz, who was nominated last week, faced questions over his qualifications to serve as the country's top law enforcement official and his past conduct. He was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years into potential sex trafficking violations, a probe that ended last year without charges being brought.

Trump was also the subject of multiple Justice Department investigations, and faced two federal indictments related to his conduct during and after his 2017-2021 term in office. He has denied all wrongdoing, described the prosecutions as politically motivated and vowed to use the department to go after political enemies when he returns to power on January 20.

Gaetz earned a reputation as a firebrand and loyal Trump ally during his time in the House and his nomination was viewed as an indication Trump would follow through on his vows to use the Justice Department to exact retribution against his foes.

"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.