Scandal-plagued Matt Gaetz, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be US Attorney General, withdrew his name from the confirmation process on Thursday in an early setback for the incoming administration.
Gaetz was one of several attractive Trump picks, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and billionaire Elon Musk as head of a government cost-cutting unit. Were.
A congressional panel was investigating Gaetz’s alleged illegal activity, including sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl – which he denies – as well as drug use and misuse of campaign funds.
She faced an uphill battle to win Senate confirmation for the top legal role of attorney general due to widespread opposition, including in her own Republican party.
“I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful response and the incredible support of so many people,” Gaetz said on Twitter.
“Although momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly designed to distract from the important work of the Trump/Vance transition.”
Gaetz was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2016 and won re-election this month, but he resigned as a congressman soon after Trump chose him as attorney general.
Trump said in response to his withdrawal, “Matt has a great future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he does.”
Many of Trump’s nominations have come under criticism, and the latest transition turmoil came as new unclear details emerged about defense nominee Hegseth.
He was investigated for sexual harassment after an anonymous woman complained at a 2017 conference in California.
The New York Times reported details of the police investigation, which was closed without charging Hegseth.
The married woman told authorities she had memory loss and thought her drink might have been spiked, while Hegseth said the encounter was consensual.
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