House Ethics Committee does not agree to release sexual misconduct report on Matt Gaetz
AlterNet
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said Thursday he is withdrawing his name from consideration as Pres.-elect Donald Trump's pick for US attorney general.Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Thursday he is withdrawing his name from consideration as Pres.-elect Donald Trump's pick for US attorney general.
After meeting with Republican senators, Gaetz said he was withdrawing because "it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."
This comes a day after the House Ethics Committee failed to reach an agreement to release a report concerning misconduct allegations against Gaetz.
Gaetz was a profoundly gifted lawyer who would root out the systemic corruption at the DOJ. Though his decision to withdraw his name is a setback for the president-elect, this is an unfortunate outcome of political witch-hunting and a smear campaign by the Washington establishment, who were terrified that he would have cleansed the systemic corruption and lawfare that has ravaged America.
Gaetz saw the writing on the wall that he wouldn't win enough GOP support to be confirmed and withdrew out of his own volition to avoid having his name pulled publicly by Donald Trump. With a potentially damning congressional ethics report still hanging over his head, it was natural that he wouldn't have been allowed to shirk responsibility for his alleged sexual misconduct.