Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., announced Thursday that he would withdraw his name from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Gaetz’s path was mired by a series of allegations of sexual misconduct, including sex with a minor at a 2017 party. On Thursday, NBC News learned from a source familiar with the discussions that the House Ethics Committee, which had been investigating Gaetz, was told that a 17-year-old girl had two sexual encounters with the then-congressman at the party.
The description of the second encounter was included in her testimony to the House Ethics Committee as well as a deposition in a related civil lawsuit. The second sexual encounter included another adult woman, a source said.
CNN was the first to report on the new allegations. Gaetz has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct.
“It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz wrote Thursday on X.
“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,” he added.
Trump praised Gaetz on Truth Social and said he had been doing “very well” in the confirmation process.
“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. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” Trump wrote.
At the Justice Department, there was a general sense of relief after Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, with an official telling NBC News, “Certain events, like the sun chasing away the dark of night, are not surprising, they’re expected. But that doesn’t stop me from being grateful for each sunrise.”
The office added, “I now know what is going to be the first feather on my gratitude handprint turkey this Thanksgiving.”
Another Justice Department official called the move “such a relief” before adding that it’s “hard to imagine [Trump] appointing someone worse. But we will see.”
Hours after Gaetz’s announcement, the president-elect named former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi — a longtime Trump ally — as his new pick for attorney general.
Two Trump transition sources with direct knowledge of Gaetz’s decision told NBC News that Gaetz notified Trump about his decision Thursday morning. It was Gaetz’s decision to opt to withdraw.
One of the sources acknowledged that Gaetz’s confirmation was always going to be an uphill battle and said Trump is expected to meet “very soon” with a new round of attorney general contenders, with no particular person at the top of the list. It’s unclear what that means for Todd Blanche, whom Trump had tapped to be Gaetz’s deputy.
A third source close to Trump told NBC News that the transition team “welcomed” Gaetz’s withdrawal, adding that “the [House Ethics] report started to leak out and there was no way for Matt to make it.”
Gaetz, whom Trump named last week as his pick for attorney general, was also investigated by the Justice Department — the department he would have led had he been confirmed — related to allegations of sex trafficking and sex with a minor. Gaetz has vehemently denied those allegations, and the investigation ended with the Justice Department electing not to charge him.
He resigned from the House last week, effectively ending the Ethics Committee investigation. The committee had been looking into the allegations against him on and off since 2021.
Earlier this week, a lawyer for two women who allege that Gaetz paid them for sex detailed some of the testimony they gave to the Ethics Committee this year, including one who said she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old.
“My clients are relieved to have this chapter behind them and eager to move forward with their lives,” the lawyer, Joel Leppard, said Thursday after Gaetz’s announcement. “We’re hopeful this brings final closure for all parties involved.”
Committee members met Wednesday to discuss whether to release the report but did not come to an agreement.
It’s unclear what the Ethics Committee will do now that Gaetz has withdrawn. Its members are meeting again on Dec. 5, when they will further discuss the matter.
At the Ethics Committee’s closed-door July 23 meeting, staffers told Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., that a draft report on its investigation was far enough along that it could be circulated to all committee members, according to meeting transcripts obtained by NBC News.
Members and staffers had gathered that day to depose Gaetz himself, but he never showed.
Guest told reporters that Gaetz’s withdrawal should “end the discussion” for committee members about how they “move forward.”
“He is no longer a member of Congress, and so I think that this settles any involvement that the ethics committee should have in any matters involving Mr. Gaetz,” Guest said.
Several House Democrats had called for the report to be released publicly. Some Senate Republicans, who would have had to vote on Gaetz’s confirmation, publicly expressed their interest in viewing the report as part of the confirmation process.
Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance maintained their firm support of Gaetz, with Trump even “heavily working the phones” to drum up support for Gaetz.
Vance had been on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning setting up meetings between senators and another controversial pick, Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, but he left the Capitol shortly before Gaetz made his announcement. Hegseth also faces misconduct allegations, which he has denied.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has opposed publicly releasing the ethics report, also left the building before Gaetz’s news broke; he and the House won’t return until after the Thanksgiving recess.
Senators from both sides of the aisle have expressed skepticism that he would get enough votes to be confirmed.
At least five Senate Republicans — Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Sen.-elect John Curtis of Utah — were “noes” on Gaetz and had communicated to other senators and those close to Trump that they were unlikely to be swayed, according to five people with direct knowledge.
One of the sources said at least 20, and as many as 30, Senate Republicans were very uncomfortable about having to vote for Gaetz on the floor. Gaetz could afford to lose only three Republicans in a floor vote if Vance cast a tiebreaking vote.
After having met with Gaetz on Wednesday, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, told NBC News that the subject of the allegations arose.
Ernst said Gaetz brought up the allegations himself during their conversation.
“He was very forthcoming, but that’s all I’m going to say, because he will go through a very fair confirmation process with Senator Grassley, and I think a lot of this will get flushed out then,” Ernst added. “I’m just reserving judgment.” Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is the incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Following Gaetz’s announcement Thursday, Collins told reporters that there were a lot of “red flags” around Gaetz and that withdrawing was the “best decision he could have made.”
“What I think it probably reflects is the meetings that he had yesterday with senators as they started going through the Judiciary Committee members. I don’t know that for a fact, but I think that he has put country first, and I’m pleased with his decision,” she added.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was publicly supportive of Gaetz’s being nominated, wrote Thursday on X that “I respect former Representative Matt Gaetz’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration and appreciate his willingness to serve at the highest level of our government.”
Mullin told NBC News on Thursday that “I think it’s a good thing” that Gaetz dropped out. “There was no way, no path forward for him,” he said.
Gaetz said in his resignation that he wouldn’t take the oath in new Congress. “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump administration,” he said.
It’s unclear what his decision means for his congressional seat.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
