GOP senators express relief over Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from AG consideration

Senate Republicans were breathing a deep sigh of relief Thursday afternoon after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) announced he would withdraw his bid to serve as attorney general, acknowledging that allegations of sexual misconduct against him have become “a distraction.”

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the incoming chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed Gaetz’s decision to withdraw as “a positive development.”

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said Gaetz made the right decision, given the serious “headwinds” he faced on Capitol Hill.

“He must have gotten some signals yesterday during conversations he was having with senators that this was going to be a distraction,” she said. “Good on him to recognize that and be self-aware.”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said he wasn’t surprised by Gaetz’s decision.

“These things always work out for the best. In this particular case, they made the right choice to withdraw the nomination,” he said.

Rounds said he wouldn’t disagree with Gaetz’s observation that his nomination had become a distraction.

“I won’t argue with their reasoning, as long as the withdrawal has been completed,” he said.

Some Republican senators had suggested Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning that Gaetz should pull out from consideration, given that he didn’t have a viable path to securing 50 votes to win confirmation.

“The best thing to do is to convince the president that the votes aren’t there, regardless of his strong-arming, and Gaetz can decide it’s not his to fight for,” one Republican senator who requested anonymity told The Hill on Wednesday afternoon.

Not all GOP senators were happy about the announcement, however.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who served with Gaetz in Florida’s congressional delegation, said he was “disappointed” by the news.

“I’m disappointed. Matt’s smart. He would change the way the DOJ has done it,” he said, accusing the Justice Department of “lawfare” against President-elect Trump and his allies during the Biden administration.

Ellen Mitchell contributed.