Matt Gaetz Withdraws From Trump Attorney General Consideration

Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz wrote Thursday he is withdrawing himself from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney general. “It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work” of the Trump administration, Gaetz wrote in a statement posted to social media platform X. Gaetz said he met with senators a day earlier and had “thoughtful feedback” and received “incredible support” from many of them. Gaetz faced congressional, federal, and media scrutiny over allegations that would have complicated his path to confirmation as the nation’s top federal prosecutor. The House Ethics Committee in April 2021 announced an investigation into whether Gaetz allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct, engaged in illegal drug use, “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor,” misused state identification records, used campaign funds for personal use, and took bribes, it said....