(Al Jazeera Media Network) US conservative firebrand Matt Gaetz has announced that he is withdrawing from consideration for United States attorney general following renewed focus on sexual misconduct allegations against him.
In a statement on social media on Thursday, just over one week after President-elect Donald Trump named Gaetz as his pick for the position of top federal prosecutor, the former Florida congressman said that he had become a “distraction”.
Gaetz, a divisive figure even within Trump’s Republican Party, faced the prospect of opposition to his nomination in the US Senate, where proposed cabinet members must pass a confirmation vote.
“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,” Gaetz said in a post on X.
“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J Trump is the most successful President in history.”
Gaetz’s history of picking fights with high-level Republican leaders coupled with allegations that he had sexual relations with a 17-year-old, a crime in the US where the age of consent is 18, helped sink his chances. Gaetz has denied the allegations of sexual impropriety.
Trump, who has signalled his intent to wield the power of the government against political opponents, said in a social media post that he was “greatly” appreciative of Gaetz’s work.
“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 said in a post on his social media site Truth Social.
Gaetz’s past came under scrutiny in a sex trafficking probe by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that ended without charges against him last year.
He was also the subject of an investigation by the US House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct, and an attorney for two women told committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions starting in 2017. That committee debated whether to release its report on Gaetz following Trump’s selection of him as attorney general.
Joel Leppard, attorney for the two women, said that one woman testified that she had seen Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a party in Florida in 2017. The woman said that she did not think Gaetz was aware that the girl in question was underage, and paused their relationship until she turned 18, the legal age of consent in Florida.
“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” Trump said on Thursday.
Gaetz resigned from the US House of Representatives last week after Trump announced him as his pick for attorney general. I was unclear whether Gaetz will return to his seat in the US Congress – to which he was re-elected for another two years on November 5 – or seek other employment.
