Trump praises Gaetz after AG nod falls through

President-elect Trump said former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has a “wonderful future” ahead of him following the former congressman’s withdrawal as Trump’s nominee to become attorney general.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he “greatly” appreciates Gaetz’s efforts in seeking to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) but recognized he didn’t want to be a distraction.

“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!” he said.

Gaetz announced his withdrawal from the nomination in a post on the social platform X on Thursday, saying he had “excellent meetings” with senators on Wednesday but his confirmation process was “unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”

“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,” Gaetz said. “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.”

Trump declared Gaetz his choice to lead the DOJ only a week ago, spurring significant backlash from his critics and becoming the most controversial of the incoming president’s picks for his Cabinet.

Gaetz has been the subject of a years-long House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct, but the committee passed on releasing its report at its meeting on Wednesday. A source familiar with the panel’s deliberations said the committee voted on party lines against releasing the report as it currently stands, but it did vote to complete the report.

The committee is set to meet again on Dec. 5.

Gaetz was also the subject of a DOJ investigation over the allegations, but the department ultimately decided not to bring charges against him.

Gaetz resigned from his House seat, which he had held since 2017, immediately after Trump announced his nomination, just ahead of the scheduled Ethics Committee meeting.