Former Republican representative Matt Gaetz shocked the country on Thursday after announcing that he’d withdraw from consideration to serve as attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump.
In a statement on X, Gaetz, who resigned from the House just last week, argued that his potential confirmation hearing would ultimately prove to be a distraction following a meeting on Wednesday with lawmakers.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz wrote. “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.”
“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.”
Gaetz followed up by noting that he remains “fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history” before thanking Trump for the consideration.
While the ex-lawmaker did not go into detail, the likely “distraction” from a confirmation hearing is almost certainly related to an investigation by the House Ethics Committee surrounding allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl.
Before Gaetz withdrew, CNN reported on a second sexual encounter with the girl that had previously not been known. According to CNN, Gaetz withdrew four minutes after the organization reached out for comment.
Matt Gaetz Withdraws Memes
An investigation into the allegations against Gaetz by the Department of Justice did not result in charges. Nevertheless, many were quick to frame Gaetz as a child abuser attempting to flee from justice.
A number of the jokes referenced standard political explanations about putting family first.
“Gaetz withdraws to spend more time with kids,” joked one.
Trump supporters on the other hand mourned what they saw as a devastating loss for the future of the country. Ironically, the popular QAnon promoter Shadow of Ezra, who believes the government is full of pedophiles, expressed dismay at Gaetz stepping away.
“Matt Gaetz has officially revealed he’s stepping aside as a contender for Donald Trump’s Attorney General. This announcement comes after Gaetz fiercely battled against relentless media attacks and defamation campaigns,” he wrote. “This is a sad day for those who hoped for the hammer of justice.”
Plenty relished the fact that Gaetz, having left the House, will now be unemployed for a bit.
But while Gaetz resigned from the current House, having won re-election, he will be seated in the next.
“lmao he blew up his career for this. lmao,” wrote one.
“Gaetz already resigned from Congress. He’s just unemployed now,” added another.
The new House, with Gaetz in it, will be seated in January 2025.
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