Congressman Matt Gaetz is withdrawing from consideration to be President-elect Trump’s attorney general after being asked by CNN about additional sexual assault allegations against a minor. The former congressman said Thursday that he did not want to be a “distraction.”

“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,” Mr. Gaetz wrote on X on Thursday. “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.”

Just minutes after he pulled his name from nomination, CNN reported that the outlet had asked him about an allegation that he had slept with the 17-year-old girl who had previously accused him. The young woman, who says the first incident occurred in 2017, said Mr. Gaetz had sex with her again even after finding out about her age. CNN informed Mr. Gaetz that their story was set to be published at 12:30 PM, and he announced his withdrawal at 12:24 PM. 

Multiple senators seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after Mr. Gaetz removed himself from consideration. Senator Collins said she was happy the Senate wouldn’t have to deal with the “red flags” surrounding the nominee. Senator Mullin called the development a “positive move.”

The former Florida lawmaker was chosen to be Trump’s attorney general nominee just days after the November election, and came as a surprise to many in the nation’s capital. Senator Murkowski initially responded to his nomination by calling him “not a serious” candidate, and Ms. Collins said she was “shocked” to hear he had been chosen. Several Republican senators also called for the House Ethics Committee’s report into Mr. Gaetz’s alleged sexual encounter with a minor and use of illicit drugs to be released to the public. 

“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history,” Mr. 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.”

Mr. Gaetz faced an uphill battle to win confirmation in the Senate, with NBC News reporting that there were as many as 30 Republican senators saying behind closed doors that they wanted Mr. Gaetz to withdraw from consideration. 

Shortly after he was nominated, Mr. Gaetz resigned from the 118th Congress, thus giving him some cover to avoid the release of the Ethics Committee’s looming report. He will have the option to return to Congress for the 119th session, which begins on January 3, 2025, as he was reelected by voters in Florida’s first district in November. 

The former congressman may be just the first cabinet nominee to be rejected by the Senate in the coming weeks, as the nominees for secretary of defense, secretary of health and human services, and director of national intelligence are all facing scrutiny for various policy positions and past controversies.