Matt Gaetz drops bid to be Trump's attorney general

Matt Gaetz Thursday abruptly dropped his bid to be President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general amid growing allegations involving drugs and paid sex with young women.

The former Florida lawmaker said he was stepping aside to avoid what he called a “needlessly protracted Washington scuffle” over his nomination to lead the Department of Justice,

“It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction,” Gaetz tweeted. “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 praised Gaetz after the announcement.

“Matt has a wonderful future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do,” Trump wrote on his social media site.

The incoming president had repeatedly expressed steadfast support for Gaetz and had described the pick as the single most important choice in his forthcoming cabinet.

CNN reported Thursday morning that it planned to reveal new reporting that Gaetz engaged in a second sexual encounter with a girl who was only 17 at the time, a tryst that included an older woman as well.

Minutes after being asked about the new report, Gaetz pulled the plug on his bid to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

There was no immediate word on who Trump might nominate to replace Gaetz. He has railed against federal prosecutors and vowed to use the Justice Department to retaliate during his upcoming second term.

Trump has already put forward Todd Blanche, one of his personal defense lawyers, to the No. 2 position at the DoJ.

Another high-profile candidates could be Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Before the sudden withdrawal, Gaetz had insisted he was planning to fight to salvage the Gaetz nomination, which faced an uphill battle to win the required 50 senators in a confirmation hearing.

Gaetz already resigned his Florida congressional seat last week in what many believed was a ploy to avoid disclosure of a congressional Ethics Committee report.

The former lawmaker had won a small victory Wednesday when Republicans on the House Ethics Committee decided not to immediately release a report on his alleged misdeeds.

The panel agreed to meet again in early December, when it could release the report or seek to permanently shelve it on the grounds that he is no longer a member of the House.

Gaetz met privately for hours Wednesday with Republican senators who have heard questions about the allegations and will be considering their votes on his nomination.

One twist could come if Gaetz seeks to walk back his resignation from Congress.

He stepped down last week virtually at the same time that Trump tapped him for the AG post. But Gaetz won reelection in November to a new two-year term starting Jan. 1, meaning he might be able to return to the House in the new year.

Florida Republicans are also jostling for the upcoming vacancy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, which will be filled by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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