How Gaetz Crashed And Burned

Donald Trump chose Matt Gaetz for attorney general mid-flight eight days ago because he wanted to shock a Washington institution — the DOJ — into submission. The political rollercoaster that ensued ended with a thud Thursday as it became clear another institution — the U.S. Senate — wasn’t on board.

Leaks from multiple investigations into sexual misconduct and drug use, an uphill battle to get skeptical GOP senators on board, and the looming possibility that his confirmation hearing would become an embarrassing circus as Trump tries to push his agenda simply became too much. As of Wednesday, there were at least four Senate Republicans opposed to Gaetz, according to two people familiar with the count. And his support was likely to dwindle as concerns loomed about additional damaging allegations being made public from the House Ethics Committee’s investigation.

“He didn't have the votes, and it was only going to get harder with the ethics stuff,” one person with knowledge of the situation said, adding that the situation surrounding Gaetz was “distracting — super distracting.”

Just a week ago Wednesday, Trump was frustrated that he didn't have an attorney general candidate with the kind of no-holds-barred personality needed to overhaul the Justice Department. As it happened, Trump was flying on his private plane to Washington that day with Gaetz, the ultimate bomb thrower, in tow. As the two got to talking, the president-elect realized the solution to his problem was sitting right in front of him: Gaetz — the loyal, divisive firebrand — was his man for the job.

Trump’s rapid decision later that day to choose one of the most polarizing members of Congress as the nation’s top law enforcement officer set off a rolling cascade of controversies and pushback on Capitol Hill — pushback that led to the Thursday morning call, in which Gaetz came to the conclusion he needed to withdraw from consideration. Trump and Gaetz agreed that attorney general was too important a role to risk a dragged out confirmation fight, according to a person familiar with the discussion.

And it was becoming increasingly apparent that Gaetz, in the end, would have come up short in a confirmation vote.

Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump named another Floridian, former state Attorney General Pam Bondi, as his choice to lead DOJ.

The eight-day saga provided a sample of what might be in store as Trump takes office in January for his second term. Just when the political establishment thought it had seen it all, the president-elect found a new way to shock — with a choice that seemed beyond the pale to almost everyone but him. And this was not a one-off: A pair of other Cabinet decisions, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS and Fox personality Pete Hegseth to run DOD were almost as stunning.

Trump kept a brave face in his support for Gaetz. On Tuesday he told reporters in Texas that he had no plans to drop the embattled ex-congressman; to the contrary, he was personally making calls to senators on Gaetz’s behalf. But while some members of Trump’s team expressed cautious optimism about his meetings with senators on Capitol Hill along with Vice President-elect JD Vance, serious doubts were brewing.

“The Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent — and in this particular case, I think there was advice offered, rather than consent,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who added that he was not surprised by Gaetz’s withdrawal.

By late morning Thursday, Gaetz had also called top Republican leaders and activists who had pushed for his confirmation — telling them he would soon announce he was bowing out, according to a person with knowledge of one such conversation. "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 in a statement. "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.”

That message appeared to reach few senators, however. Many learned the news from Gaetz’s post on X while voting on the Senate floor or after being asked about it by reporters. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a close ally of Vance who said he planned to support all of Trump’s nominees, said he learned from the post.

“The timing was unexpected,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who met with Gaetz on Wednesday. “My view coming out of that meeting was that it was important that he had a full and fair hearing, and the Senate moved promptly, I assume, based on the announcement today that there were significant challenges to Senate confirmation.”

Gaetz and Vance were at the Capitol for almost 12 hours on Wednesday, meeting with key senators on the Judiciary Committee. Their pitch appeared to be to just give the Florida Republican a hearing — even if that hearing would be “Kavanaugh on steroids” as Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) put it.

Democrats had been pushing for the release of what was expected to be a damning report by the House ethics panel outlining claims that Gaetz previously had sex with a 17-year-old girl, among other allegations. On Thursday, CNN reported that the woman who told House investigators Gaetz had sex with her when she was a minor had actually reported that Gaetz did so twice — including one time as a threesome with another adult woman. Gaetz’s announcement that he was withdrawing from consideration came moments before the story published, though he continues to deny the claims.

One of the last senators seen meeting with Gaetz and Vance was Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) — one of Gaetz’s few meetings with a non-Judiciary Committee member. Ernst, who has shared her own story of sexual assault, had refused to comment on Gaetz throughout the week, saying only that he had “an uphill battle” while praising some of Trump’s other nominations.

Some advocates for Trump’s Cabinet picks said they believed Gaetz’s exit would boost the prospects of other selections, such as Hegseth, Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard.

“It doesn’t mean RFK or Tulsi or Pete are going to get through, but it probably is appreciated by the Senate that Gaetz no longer is up for consideration,” said the person with knowledge of how lobbying efforts were going.

Gaetz’s quick demise is a rare setback for Trump since his triumphant victory this month, and questions remain about how he let it happen. A person apprised of Trump’s thinking on the matter said that the president-elect was already aware of the contents of the House ethics report about Gaetz, despite speculation among some that Trump wasn’t fully informed about the findings.

As Gaetz made the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, the mystery wasn’t so much whether he would be confirmed — but how long it would take for him to withdraw. People in Trump’s orbit said it was apparent that there was widespread unease among Senate Republicans about being forced to take a vote on Gaetz.

“This one, they wanted a pass,” the person said of the Senate’s discomfort with Gaetz, “and I think that message got through.”