Former Representative Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination Thursday to become attorney general in the second Trump term.

He said the move followed many “excellent meetings” with senators, who would have to vote to confirm his nomination.

“I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz said in a post on X. “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.”

Some Republican senators had expressed their doubts about Gaetz’s nomination, though many of the same senators had voted for Merrick Garland, President Biden’s pick to head the Justice Department.

Gaetz launched the motion to remove then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October 2023, while the House Ethics Committee was investigating claims of sexual assault against him. The Justice Department had previously investigated the claims, and declined to press charges.

Gaetz, who represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District, resigned from Congress shortly after Trump nominated him last week. His resignation also pre-empted the potential release of the House Ethics Committee’s report.

“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,” he added.

“Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz wrote. “I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

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