Matt Gaetz withdraws from attorney general nomination

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., pulled his name from consideration to be the next attorney general. In a social media post Thursday afternoon, Gaetz said private meetings on Capitol Hill showed his nomination was becoming a distraction to what he characterized as the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition. Earlier this week, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance held meetings with cabinet nominees Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, as well as senators to pave the way for confirmation hearings in January. Several senators opposed Gaetz’s nomination due to a pending House Ethics Committee report over sexual misconduct allegations.

What does this mean for the ethics report? Gaetz resigned his House seat immediately after President-elect Donald Trump appointed him. The House Ethics Committee met yesterday to determine whether it should still release the ethics report on Gaetz, despite the fact that he no longer holds office. The committee ultimately decided to finish the report and meet again in December to determine whether to publish it. Reps. Sean Casten, D-Ill., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., introduced privileged resolutions that would force the committee to release the report. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., must bring it up for a vote within two days of the chamber’s return from Thanksgiving recess unless Casten or Cohen withdraw their resolutions.

Has Trump responded to Gaetz’s decision? President-elect Trump issued a statement on Thursday saying he greatly appreciated Gaetz’s recent efforts. He said Gaetz was doing very well, but acknowledged that Gaetz did not want his confirmation process to be a distraction. Trump went on to say that Gaetz was highly respected and had a wonderful future.

What will Gaetz do next? The Florida congressman resigned his current seat in the 118th Congress, but was reelected in November for the 119th Congress. He could return for that term. In his social media post, Gaetz did not reveal his future plans but wrote that he remained fully committed to see that Trump is the most successful President in history.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report on the reaction on Capitol Hill to Gaetz’s nomination.