Matt Gaetz withdrew his name for consideration to become President-elect Trump’s attorney general on Thursday—ending a chaotic eight day candidacy that saw the Trump loyalist defend himself against allegations of sexual misconduct and a looming report from the House’s Ethics Committee.
But new reporting suggests Gaetz spoke to Trump before making the announcement, where the president-elect told the beleaguered former Florida congressman that he did not have the votes to get confirmed in the Senate and that his colleagues were too concerned about the scandals to move forward.
Trump reportedly called Gaetz on Thursday morning to discuss the confirmation process, The Bulwark reported, citing a source with knowledge of the conversation.
With a 53-47 majority in the Senate, losing just three Republican votes would doom the ex-congressman’s nomination.
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, already expressed skepticism over the pick. Gaetz said between four and six would vote against him, according to the Bulwark report, and the president-elect agreed he did not have the votes.
Trump had been making personal calls to senators on behalf of the controversial nominee this week, but privately expressed concern he could not get through the confirmation process, The New York Times reported days before.
He also sent Vice President-elect JD Vance to Capitol Hill to shore up support for Gaetz and some of the other Cabinet picks on Wednesday.
After the meetings, Gaetz told reporters a more optimistic story. “Senators have been giving me a lot of good advice. I’m looking forward to a hearing. Folks have been very supportive, and they’ve been saying we are going to get a fair process so it’s a great day of momentum for the Trump-Vance administration,” Gaetz said.
However, in a post on Truth Social Thursday, Trump said Gaetz’s decision came down to the ongoing news cycle causing a “distraction” for the transition team. “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,” the president-elect wrote.
The Trump transition team did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
