Matt Gaetz drops out as Trump's controversial pick for attorney general

Gaetz’s announcement came days after an attorney for two women who said Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, ITV News US Correspondent Robert Moore reports

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Attorney General following continued scrutiny over a federal child sex trafficking investigation.

The 42-year-old's announcement came days after an attorney for two women said his clients, one of whom was 17 at the time, told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex multiple times, starting in 2017 when he was a Florida congressman.

Gaetz said in a statement on Thursday: “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.

"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 has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.

He would have overseen the same agency, the Justice Department, had he been confirmed as attorney general by the Senate. He also would have controlled the FBI and ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives).

Trump, in a social media post, said that Gaetz has a "wonderful future".

“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. 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," he said.

"Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”

Gaetz’s withdrawal could undermine Trump’s efforts to appoint loyalists to his incoming administration and signal potential resistance from other Republicans

When he was announced as Trump's pick of the attorney general, Republican congressman Max Miller of Ohio, described Gaetz in an interview with Politico as “a reckless pick” with “a zero percent shot”.

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