Matt Gaetz withdraws his nomination as Trump’s Attorney General

Former Florida representative Matt Gaetz has announced he is withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General.

Gaetz announced this on Thursday, citing what he described as the “distraction” his nomination had caused following a swirl of allegations about paying underage women for sex.

“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.

“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.”

Media Talk Africa reports that federal investigators in the United States had traced a network of payments involving Gaetz and numerous associates.

They said that the investigation revealed alleged connections to drug-fuelled sex parties and payments to women, including one who was a minor at the time.