Gaetz withdrawal from AG nomination is among quickest in history

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) withdrew his nomination as President-elect Trump’s attorney general on Thursday, putting an end to a chaotic several days on Capitol Hill and making him one of the quickest in history to withdraw from a Cabinet nomination.

His selection was swarmed with controversy, as he’s been accused of sexual misconduct. The House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday to keep its investigation into Gaetz’s allegations private, but lawmakers charged ahead with plans to finish the investigation.

Gaetz resigned from Congress immediately following Trump’s nomination, which essentially halted the investigation; he has denied all allegations.

In a post Thursday afternoon on social platform X, he said while he had “excellent meetings” with senators, it was clear that his nomination was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the Trump transition team’s work.

Gaetz’s nomination lasted just eight days, making it one of the quickest withdrawals in U.S. history.

Here are the other history-making withdrawals for Cabinet appointees:

1. Edwin D. Morgan

Former Sen. Edwin D. Morgan was nominated by then-President Lincoln on Feb. 13, 1865, to be Treasury secretary, but he declined the appointment the same day.

2. Henry Dearborn

Former U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn was nominated by President Madison on March 1, 1815, to be reappointed as War secretary, but the Senate rejected the nomination. Madison withdrew the nomination the next day.

3. David Tod

Former Ohio Gov. David Tod was nominated by President Lincoln on Jun. 30, 1864, to be Treasury secretary, but the next day, Tod declined the invitation citing poor health.

4. Zoe Baird

Lawyer Zoe Baird was nominated by former President Clinton to be the first female attorney general on Jan. 20, 1993, but withdrew six days later after it was revealed she hired undocumented immigrants and did not pay Social Security taxes for them.

5. Linda Chavez

Former White House Office of Public Engagement Director Linda Chavez was nominated to be secretary of Labor by former President George W. Bush on Jan. 2, 2001, but withdrew her nomination seven days after it was discovered she employed an undocumented immigrant a decade earlier.

6. Bernard Kerik

Bernard Kerik, the former minister of the interior of Iraq, was nominated to be Homeland Security secretary by former President George W. Bush on Dec. 3, 2004, but withdrew his nomination seven days later after it was revealed he hired an undocumented immigrant as a nanny.

7. Matt Gaetz

Gaetz’s withdrawal was eight days after he was nominated by Trump, bringing him in at seventh on the list of quickest withdrawals.

8. Judd Gregg

Former Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) was nominated by former President Obama on Feb. 2, 2009, to serve as the Commerce secretary. He withdrew his nomination 10 days later due to differences in governing and policy.