WASHINGTON: Right-wing firebrand Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's pick to be US attorney general, pulled out of the confirmation process Thursday after facing opposition over sexual misconduct allegations.
Gaetz's withdrawal signaled limits to Trump's power even as the president-elect prepares to retake the White House with his Republican Party also in control of both chambers of Congress.
Trump has made several eye-catching selections for top roles, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and billionaire Elon Musk to head a government cost-cutting unit.
Gaetz's exit was the first setback for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance in placing allies in key positions, but his confirmation by the Senate was widely seen as doomed due to lack of support from fellow Republicans.
A congressional panel has been investigating alleged illegal activity by Gaetz, including sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl -- which he denies -- as well as drug use and misappropriating campaign funds.
"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday," Gaetz said on X.
"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, 42, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and won reelection recently, but he resigned as a congressman shortly after Trump picked him to be attorney general.
"Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do," Trump said in response to his withdrawal.
The ethics probe into Gaetz, a deeply polarizing Florida congressman, was effectively ended after he resigned from the House.
Trump has frequently jousted with the Justice Department, and critics say that as attorney general Gaetz could have dropped several criminal cases against the former president and tried to file bogus charges against perceived Trump opponents.
Gaetz is known as a political disruptor who earned the enmity of some House colleagues, including by engineering the ouster of fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker last year.
"A qualified nominee for the highest position in law enforcement in America must be honest and complete in disclosing his background," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement.
"Mr. Gaetz did not meet that standard."
The latest transition upheaval ahead of Trump's inauguration on January 20 came as new lurid details emerged about defense secretary nominee Hegseth.
He was investigated for sexual assault after a complaint from an unnamed woman at a 2017 conference in California.
The New York Times reported details from the police investigation, which was closed without Hegseth being charged.
The married woman told officers that her memory of the episode was hazy and thought her drink might have been spiked, while Hegseth said the encounter was consensual. - AFP