Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following continued scrutiny over a federal trafficking investigation that cast doubt on the former congressman’s ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer.
The Florida Republican’s announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to lead the Justice Department.
“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 said in a statement announcing his decision. “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.”
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!”
Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party.
Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into trafficking allegations had ended with no federal charges against him.
(AP)
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4 Responses
BH. Let’s move on.
I’d love to see Dersh take the job.
Plus the fact that he is known as a back-stabber with no sense of party loyalty – factors that might have caused the Republicans in the Senate to overlook the criminal charges (which were rejected by prosecutors and Democratic investigators, suggesting they might be an exaggeration).
Nearly everyone of Trump’s appointments have these things in common. 1) absolutely no experience for the role they are being granted 2) serious behavior allegations against them from multiple sources 3) promoters of wacko theories ungrounded in science and evidence 4) slavish obedience to the Don which is apparently all that matters.