U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to members of the media after a House motion regarding the possible removal of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 2 .
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Matt Gaetz said Thursday he would no longer consider being elected president Donald TrumpThe pick for U.S. attorney general ends a contentious campaign that shone a spotlight on previous allegations of sexual misconduct.
“I had a great meeting with the senators yesterday. I’m grateful for their thoughtful feedback and the outpouring of support from so many,” Gates said in a statement posted on his X account.
“While momentum is strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly distracts from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” the former Republican congressman from Florida said.
“There is no time to waste in an unnecessary protracted melee in Washington, so I will no longer be considered for attorney general,” he said.
Gaetz’s election has cast a new spotlight on allegations of sexual misconduct and other misconduct being investigated by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee.
CNN Paula Reid says The outlet contacted Gaetz for comment, reporting that a woman told the ethics panel that she had sex with Gaetz twice in 2017, when she was 17.
Gates denies ever Having sex with an underage girl.
trump card Said on “Truth Society” Later Thursday, Gates said “he’s doing a great job, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to distract from the administration, and he respects that very much.”
Carolyn Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, said in a statement that the president-elect “remains committed to selecting a leader for the Department of Justice who will fiercely defend the Constitution and end the weaponization of our justice system.”
Levitt told CNBC that Trump “will make an announcement when a new decision is made.”
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— CNBC’s Ece Yildirim contributed to this report.
