USA. Matt Gaetz, a controversial Republican, is withdrawing from Donald Trump's nomination for attorney general

Matt Gaetz, who announced his resignation from his House seat last week, announced his decision to withdraw his candidacy for attorney general in a post on the X platform a day after he met with Republican senators to persuade them to confirm it.

“I appreciate their thoughtful opinions – and the incredible support of so many. … It is clear that my confirmation issue unfairly distracted from the crucial work of the Trump-Vance transition team,” Gaetz wrote. “There is no time to waste on an unnecessarily prolonged Washington tussle, so I will withdraw my name from consideration for the position of attorney general,” he said.

Trump, meanwhile, praised Gaetz in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. “I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz's recent efforts to be confirmed as Attorney General. He did very well, but at the same time, he did not want to be a distraction to an administration for which he has great respect. Matt has a great future and I look forward to seeing all of it.” the wonderful things he will do!” – wrote the president-elect.

Just a week ago Donald Trump announced that he plans to nominate Gaetz for attorney general.

On Wednesday, the Republican congressman and the president-elect assured that Gaetz would become the head of the Ministry of Justice and attorney general. Gaetz is one of the most controversial congressmen who has been the subject of an investigation by the FBI and the House Ethics Committee on allegations that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl.

The 42-year-old politician from Florida resigned from the House of Representatives shortly after Trump announced his nomination. The media and politicians speculated that this decision was dictated by the desire to avoid the publication of the report of the ethics committee's investigation into his case. Representatives nonetheless Democrats submitted a motion on Wednesday forcing a vote on the publication of the report. The document, based, among others, on on the testimony of women with whom Gaetz had sex, was – according to leaks – “very harmful” to the politician, although the federal prosecutor's office decided not to charge him in this case.

Last year, Senator Markwayne Mullin – who supported Gaetz's candidacy after the announcement of his nomination – told CNN that the politician showed other congressmen photos of women with whom he had sex during orgies and talked about mixing potency drugs with energy drinks during parties.

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The congressman is one of the most important advocates of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement created by Trump, known for its controversial statements. In 2023, he contributed to the recall, thanks to the votes of the far right, of the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy claimed it was retaliation for refusing to drop the House Ethics Committee's investigation.

Many Republican senators, whose consent is required to take office, declared their open dislike for the politician. As the Wall Street Journal reported last week, as many as 30 out of 53 Republican senators were ready to vote against their party colleague.

The position of attorney general is one of the most important in the president's office. According to custom, he supervises the Ministry of Justice independently of the head of state and directs federal investigations. Gaetz's critics feared that the Republican would politicize the prosecutor's office and, as a result, it would become a tool of political revenge against Donald Trump's opponents.