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." (More Matt Gaetz stories.)