Matt Gaetz Withdraws Himself from Consideration for United States Attorney General

Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration for United States Attorney General.

This decision comes after former and President-elect Donald Trump’s (R) selection received harsh criticism from many in the media, government, and the public as a result of serious allegations against the representative, including sex trafficking and drug use.

Gaetz has never been charged with any crime, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to bring charges following an FBI investigation in 2021. Gaetz was recently the subject of a related congressional ethics committee investigation.

The report from this ethics investigation was set to be released by the committee prior to former Rep. Gaetz’s resignation from the House earlier this month. As of a meeting Wednesday, members were unable to come to a decision regarding whether or not to make the contents of the report public at this time.

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X Thursday. “I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many.”

“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 continued. “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,” Gaetz concluded. “I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”

“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General,” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after Gaetz’s announcement.

“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,” said Trump. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R), of Maine whose vote would have been crucial to Gaetz getting confirmed in the Senate, recently described Gaetz’s selection as “shocking” due to the serious allegations against the representative.

[RELATED: Collins, Heading for Clash Over Trump Cabinet Picks, Says She’ll Seek 2026 Re-election]

According to Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram, Sen. Collins has indicated that she is “pleased” with his decision to withdraw himself from consideration.

“It probably reflects is the meetings that he had yesterday with senators as they started going through the judiciary committee members,” she said. “I don’t know that for a fact, but I think that he has put country first, and I’m pleased with his decision. Certainly there were a lot of red flags.”

Since Gaetz had previously resigned from his seat in the House, it is unclear whether or not he will be returning to Congress next term, as he has already been elected by Florida residents to serve in the next Legislature. Gaetz said he had resigned almost immediately after Trump announced his nomination; however, because he had yet to be sworn into the new Congress, it’s unclear whether that resignation was official or if we will be able to resume his seat.

It is also a possibility that Trump will offer Gaetz another position within his administration.

At this time, it is unknown who will replace Gaetz as the nominee for Attorney General.

Karoline Leavitt — a spokeswoman for the former president’s transition team — said in a statement to CNBC that Trump “remains committed to choosing a leader for the Department of Justice who will strongly defend the Constitution and end the weaponization of our justice system.”

“[Trump] will announce his new decision when it is made,” Leavitt said.

Trump recently nominated criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States under his administration.

Other nominees for positions within the upcoming Trump Administration include Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Secretary of State, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services Secretary, Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, Sean Duffy as Transportation Secretary, Kristi Noem as the Homeland Security Secretary, and Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence.