Gaetz withdraws from US A-G race amid sex allegations
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney-General Pam Bondi to be attorney-general, moving swiftly to replace his former nominee Matt Gaetz after the embattled former congressman withdrew from consideration.
Gaetz, who faced opposition from Senate Republicans, was the subject of a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of having sex with an underage 17-year-old girl and illicit drug use. He has denied wrongdoing.
“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,” Gaetz, a Republican, wrote on X.
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The announcement came a day after the House Ethics Committee deadlocked on releasing a report into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use by Gaetz, and after he met with Republican senators whose support would be needed to become attorney-general.
Trump, in a social media post, said: “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!”.
Bondi served as the top law enforcement officer of the country’s third-most populous state from 2011 to 2019 and on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration.
Most recently, Bondi helped lead the legal arm of the America First Policy Institute, a right-leaning think tank whose personnel has worked closely with Trump’s campaign to help shape policy for his incoming administration.
Her resume contrasts with that of Gaetz, who has little of the traditional experience expected of an attorney general.
Bondi would likely face less opposition from senators involved in the confirmation process compared with Gaetz.
Trump announced his pick of Bondi on social media, praising her for her prosecutorial experience and saying she was tough on crime as Florida’s first female attorney-general.
Trump, who was elected on November 5 despite being the subject of multiple criminal investigations from US and state prosecutors, including a felony conviction in the state of New York, said Bondi would end the politicisation of federal prosecutions.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponised against me and other Republicans - Not anymore,” Trump said.
“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fight Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Bondi, a Trump loyalist, is expected to carry out Trump’s policy agenda.
Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives after Trump announced he would nominate him for the cabinet.
One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the lawyer Joel Leppard.
Leppard has said that his client testified she did not think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18.
The age of consent in Florida is 18.
Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.
with AP
