Gaetz Withdraws as Attorney General Nominee

Matt Gaetz is out of the running: The former Florida congressman on Thursday withdrew his name from contention to be the next attorney general, reports the Washington Post. Gaetz did so amid unrelenting scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that was conducted while he was in Congress, per the AP. His withdrawal came after a series of meetings with senators on Capitol Hill in a bid to win their support, notes Politico. He is so far the only one of President-elect Trump's nominees to fall through.

"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," Gaetz said in a statement. "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."