Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz had a frank phone call with President-elect Donald Trump about his chances for being confirmed as attorney general and the call was grim, a report revealed on Friday.
Insiders said his “charm offensive” with the Senate went well, but then things fell apart when it became apparent that he would not be able to be confirmed, The Daily Mail reported.
“At best this was going to be complicated and drag on into February, March,” a source said exclusively to Then Mail. “And a strong A.G. is central to everything Trump wants to get started on on day one … immigration, overhauling the D.O.J. …”
On the phone call, the president-elect explained the reality to him but did not push him to step aside.
After both Trump and Gaetz had worked to secure votes, it was apparent that he was still short.
“They spoke and Trump made clear that he couldn’t move the votes in the direction that they needed to move,” a source said.
“Gaetz’s decision came after that,” they added.
“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,” the former representative said.
“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,” he said.
“I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General,” Trump added on Thursday.
“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,” he said. “Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
Vice President-elect and Ohio Sen. JD Vance also responded to the news.
“I’m extremely grateful for the work Matt put into the nomination process. He made his decision to withdraw entirely out of respect for President Trump’s administration. Matt is a patriot, and I look forward to seeing what he does next,” he said.
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Hours after Gaetz withdrew his name, the president-elect announced that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi would be his pick.
“I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!” the president-elect said.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” he said.
