Trump AG pick Matt Gaetz says he's withdrawing

Matt Gaetz said Thursday he is withdrawing his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for U.S. attorney general, ending the controversial bid that put prior allegations of sexual misconduct in the spotlight.

"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many," Gaetz said in a statement posted on his X account.

"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," said the former Republican congressman from Florida.

"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," he said.

Gaetz's selection had put a new spotlight on prior allegations of sexual misconduct and other impropriety that had been investigated by the Department of Justice and the House Ethics Committee.

CNN's Paula Reid said that Gaetz's withdrawal came less than an hour after he was contacted by the outlet for comment on its report that a woman told the ethics panel that she had had two sexual encounters with Gaetz in 2017 when she was 17 years old.

Gaetz has denied having sex with an underage girl.

Trump said on Truth Social later Thursday that Gaetz "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."

Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump's transition team, said in a statement that the president-elect "remains committed to choosing a leader for the Department of Justice who will strongly defend the Constitution and end the weaponization of our justice system."

Trump "will announce his new decision when it is made," Leavitt told CNBC.

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— CNBC's Ece Yildirim contributed to this report.