Matt Gaetz withdraws his candidacy for U.S. Attorney General

Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s controversial choice for Attorney General, who was in trouble with a report due out concerning serious allegations of, among other things, intimate relations with an underage girl, has announced that he is withdrawing his candidacy for Attorney General.

Breaking News: Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, said he was withdrawing from consideration for the role. Follow live updates.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2024-11-21T17:43:34.853Z

In a tweet, Gaetz confirmed his decision to withdraw his candidacy, explaining that he had “unfairly” become a distraction to the transition work of Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. 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…

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024

Recall that two days before the publication of a devastating House Ethics Committee report on an FBI human trafficking investigation involving Gaetz, and after being named by Donald Trump as his choice for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz had resigned as a representative from a Florida district.

This resignation immediately prevented the report from being posted, the contents of which will ultimately not be made public, following a majority vote in favor of keeping it under seal.

This decision did not assuage the indignation and criticism surrounding the appointment of a person facing such serious allegations to head one of the most important positions, that of U.S. Attorney General.

The New York Times had in fact obtained documents concerning payments made by Gaetz via Venmo, totaling almost $10,000, to two young women who were minors at the time of the alleged acts.

Breaking News: Federal investigators established a trail of payments from Matt Gaetz to women, including some who testified he hired them for sex, according to a document obtained by The New York Times and a lawyer representing some of the women. nyti.ms/3YXR0ij

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2024-11-20T23:47:43.401Z

According to CNN, Gaetz’s decision to step down as Attorney General was motivated by the fear that even more compromising information might surface in the House Ethics Committee report, and that there might be previously unknown witnesses who had been questioned by the committee.

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