Matt Gaetz, Trump's AG pick, announces withdrawal.
- Matt Gaetz announced that he will not be chosen as President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the position of U.S. attorney general.
- The former Republican congressman from Florida stated that despite the strong momentum, his confirmation was becoming an unfair distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.
- He stated that there is no time to waste on a prolonged Washington dispute, so he will withdraw his name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.
On Thursday, Matt Gaetz announced that he was withdrawing his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for U.S. attorney general, effectively ending his controversial bid that brought prior allegations of sexual misconduct into the limelight.
"Yesterday, I had productive meetings with Senators and received valuable feedback. I am grateful for their support," Gaetz stated on his X account.
The former Republican congressman from Florida stated that despite the strong momentum, his confirmation was becoming an unfair distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.
He stated that there is no time to waste on a prolonged Washington dispute, so he will withdraw his name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.
The selection of Gaetz had brought new attention to prior allegations of sexual misconduct and other impropriety that had been investigated by the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee.
CNN reported that Gaetz withdrew from the race less than an hour after being contacted for comment on a report that a woman claimed she had two sexual encounters with Gaetz in 2017 when she was 17 years old.
Gaetz has denied having sex with an underage girl.
Trump stated on Truth Social on Thursday that Gaetz was performing well but did not want to become a distraction for the administration, which he holds in high regard.
The president-elect's transition team spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, stated that the president-elect is dedicated to selecting a Department of Justice leader who will vigorously defend the Constitution and put an end to the politicization of our justice system.
Leavitt stated on CNBC that Trump will reveal his new decision once it is finalized.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
— CNBC's Ece Yildirim contributed to this report.
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