Matt Gaetz steps down as Trump's AG pick amid sex trafficking claims

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer.

Thursday's announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalise on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it.

"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," Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement.

"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," he added.

Trump, in a social media post, said: "I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. 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. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!"

He did not immediately announce a new selection.

Gaetz decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who also faces sexual assault allegations that he denies.

A detailed investigative police report made public on Wednesday shows that a woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now tapped to lead the Pentagon, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave.

"The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared," Hegseth told reporters on Thursday at the Capitol, where he was meeting with senators to build support for his nomination.

Gaetz's uncertain political future

The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump's Cabinet picks.

The selection of the fierce Trump ally over well-regarded veteran lawyers whose names had circulated as possible contenders stirred concern for the Justice Department's independence at a time when Trump has openly threatened to seek retribution against political adversaries.

It underscored the premium Trump places on personal loyalty and reflected the president-elect's desire to have a disruptor lead a Justice Department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him.

In the Senate, deeply skeptical lawmakers sought more information about Justice Department and congressional investigations into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls, which Gaetz has denied.

Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers were taken aback by the pick of a partisan lawmaker with limited legal experience who has echoed Trump's claims of a weaponised criminal justice system.

As Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating.

In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for the relationship on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman.

One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sexually abusing a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s investigation ended last year with no charges against him.

Gaetz's political future is uncertain. He had abruptly resigned his congressional seat upon being selected as attorney general, a move seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.

He did win reelection in November for the new Congress, which convenes January 3, 2025, but he said in his resignation letter last week to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he did not intend to take the oath of office.

He transmitted a similar letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the state launched a special election process to fill the vacancy.

Republicans on the House Ethics Committee declined this week to release the panel's findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again December 5 to discuss the matter.