Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is no longer being considered as our next attorney general. He withdrew his name from nomination earlier today amid a sea of controversy regarding a reportedly damning ethics report that some on the Hill found too incriminating to swallow. Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after his nomination by President-elect Donald J. Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson urged members to quash the incomplete report. The probe into Mr. Gaetz ended after he resigned, with the House Ethics Committee voting 5-5 on whether to release the report. The deadlocked vote prevented it from being made public, but that didn’t stop the leaks that occurred shortly after.
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
I’m extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process. He made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump’s administration. Matt is a patriot and I look forward to seeing what he does next. https://t.co/EfcFXXKRM2
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 21, 2024
Gaetz, not wanting to bog down the incoming Trump administration, decided to step back but not before reportedly revealing the four Republican Senators who were dead set against him no matter what. Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance met with GOP Senators this week (via NYT) [emphasis mine]:
The collapse of Mr. Gaetz’s selection underscored the haphazard way that Mr. Trump has gone about assembling his new administration. He picked Mr. Gaetz almost on a whim last week without extensive vetting, knowing that allegations were out there, but essentially daring Senate Republicans to accept him anyway.
Mr. Gaetz told people close to him that he concluded after conversations with senators and their staffs that there were at least four Republican senators who were implacably opposed to his nomination: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Curtis of Utah, who will be seated in January.
Typical. It was members of the ‘we suck’ caucus, with Curtis, who is replacing Romney, seemingly taking up the role of his predecessor, Romney, in being an all-around pain in the a**.
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 21, 2024
Trump later thanked Mr. Gaetz for his efforts.