Gaetz said in a statement that after meeting with numerous senators and attracting a barrage of media reports over his controversial nomination, it had become apparent that his confirmation pursuit was “unfairly becoming a distraction.”

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz said. “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, a confrontational conservative firebrand, came under intense scrutiny for DOJ and House Ethics Committee investigations related to sex trafficking allegations and sexual relations with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing, but the inquiries captivated Washington in the wake of his nomination.

“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 said. “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

The DOJ declined to prosecute Gaetz last year, and the House Ethics Committee had not yet completed its inquiry into Gaetz when his nomination was announced.

But documents and interviews from the inquiries leaked to the media brought to light that Gaetz, 42, paid various women thousands of dollars, allegedly for sex, and that he allegedly had a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old while he was a freshman in Congress. CNN reported that Gaetz’s withdrawal announcement came less than an hour after the outlet contacted him saying it planned to report on a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and the teenage minor.

Gaetz became known as an outlier in Congress after feuding with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, becoming one of Trump’s closest congressional allies, and stirring general controversy with his confrontational demeanor.

His nomination was met with swift opposition from Democrats, as well as skepticism and annoyance from some Republicans.

Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who blasted Gaetz’s nomination as an attention grab, reacted to the withdrawal news by saying it was predictable.

“I’m not going to dance on his grave, but I was the first one to call it,” Miller said.

Gaetz abruptly resigned from his congressional seat when Trump announced his nomination last week, days before the Ethics Committee was expected to conclude its inquiry into him.

While Gaetz indicated at the time that he would not return to Congress next year either, despite having been reelected in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, it was not immediately clear if he would follow through on those plans.

Trump acknowledged Gaetz’s decision in a statement on Truth Social, saying that the former congressman 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.”

A spokesman for Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment.