Trump attorney general pick Matt Gaetz drops bid in face of Senate opposition

Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, in the face of opposition from the Senate Republicans whose support he would have needed to win the job.

Gaetz, who resigned from the US House of Representatives last week, was the subject of an Ethics Committee probe into allegations of having sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied wrongdoing.

“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,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X.

“Trump’s Department of Justice must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

Gaetz, who was nominated last week, faced questions over his qualifications to serve as the country’s top law enforcement official and his past conduct.

He was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years into potential sex trafficking violations, a probe that ended last year without charges being brought.

Some Republican senators expressed misgivings about his nomination, though none had said publicly they would outright oppose him.

Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis said Gaetz’s decision would give Trump the opportunity to nominate an attorney general with fewer headwinds in the Senate.

Gaetz was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2016 and won reelection this month, but he resigned as a congressman shortly after Trump picked him to be attorney general.

Trump said Gaetz had a “wonderful future” despite his withdrawal.

Writing on his Truth Social social network, Trump praised Gaetz for stepping aside to avoid being a “distraction” for his new administration, adding: “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do! “

Several of Trump’s nominations have triggered criticism, and the latest transition turmoil came as new lurid details emerged about defence nominee Pete Hegseth.

He was investigated for sexual assault after a complaint from an unnamed woman at a 2017 conference in California.

The New York Times reported details from the police investigation, which was closed without Hegseth being charged.

The married woman told officers that she suffered from memory loss and thought her drink might have been spiked, while Hegseth said the encounter was consensual.