On Thursday (Nov. 21), Matt Gaetz, a former Florida congressman and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) First Baptist Church of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, withdrew his name from consideration to serve as the attorney general for President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.
Following Trump’s nomination of Gaetz on Nov. 13, Gaetz has been scrutinized by many Christians and non-Christian alike due to allegations stemming from a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into whether he had sex with and trafficked a 17-year-old.
Liberty Counsel, a Christian advocacy group, said in a statement,
Morally, Gaetz has been under a cloud of sex and drug allegations. On Wednesday, (Nov. 13), as soon as he was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump, Gaetz immediately resigned from Congress, thus ending the Ethics probe into his sex parties that includes allegations of paying an underage girl for sex.
“Gaetz will face tough questions during any confirmation hearing and will likely not be confirmed,” Liberty Counsel added. “His immediate resignation raises serious questions as it occurred just two days before the U.S. House Ethics Committee was scheduled to vote to release what is expected to be a damaging report.”
Gaetz Withdraws Attorney General Nomination
Just over a week after being nominated, Gaetz informed the nation that he would withdraw his name from consideration. “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday,” Gaetz posted on social media. “I appreciate their thoughtful feedback–and the incredible support of so many.”
“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,” he continued. “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.”
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“Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1. I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history,” Gaetz added. “I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
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