Trump cabinet latest updates: Matt Gaetz withdraws from attorney general nomination

“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 Transition,” tweeted Gaetz.

John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.:

A ‘smart move’ to withdraw:

Surprise — and acknowledgment of how “lively” the confirmation hearing would’ve been:

Gaetz “put country first”…

A reminder that the ethics report is still out there…

Donald Trump has responded to Matt Gaetz’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration to be attorney general in the second Trump administration.

The president-elect wrote on Truth Social:

I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!

Per CNN‘s exclusive report:

The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony tell CNN.

The woman, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, included another adult woman. She also testified to both sexual encounters in a civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, sources said.

After being asked for comment for this story, Gaetz announced he was backing out as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee.

Former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration for Donald Trump’s attorney general in his second administration.

In a statement on X, he said:

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 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.

I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.

Watch this space for who gets the nod from the president-elect next…

Donald Trump frequently mentioned fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter while on the campaign trail, and now real-life monster Jeffrey Dahmer gets a shout-out.

James Liddell has the story.

Ginger Gaetz beams as she stands beside her husband in loved-up photos curated on her Instagram page.

“Attorney General will look great on you my love,” Ginger wrote a week ago when he was tapped by Trump to join his cabinet, and the backlash began to mount.

An NBC News report on the Trump team’s plans for day one of the administration revealed this nugget about Donald Trump’s reaction to the story that South Dakota Governor Kristy Noem had once shot the family dog, Cricket.

A key figure in the effort [to secure the border] will be Trump’s choice for homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem. As governor of South Dakota, she hasn’t managed a bureaucracy remotely like the Department of Homeland Security, which employs more than a quarter-million people and whose portfolio also includes cyber threats and terrorism.

Noem campaigned for Trump, though a person close to Trump was surprised he tapped her for the job. Trump hadn’t “talked very favorably about her” after her book came out in the spring revealing she had killed her overly aggressive dog, Cricket, the person said.

Trump was incredulous that she would choose to write about the episode given people’s emotional attachment to their pets, the person added. He was surprised that she “didn’t understand what the reaction would be,” the person said. Trump is “no dog guy, but he’s like, ‘Good Lord!’”

Donald Trump’s allies have promised a “shock and awe” plan for mass deportations within his first days back in the White House.

Trump is expected to sign up to five executive actions targeting immigration shortly after he is sworn into office on January 20, according to NBC News.

Alex Woodward breaks down what to expect.