Former US Representative Matt Gaetz (FL) withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general on Thursday in the face of considerable Republican opposition in the Senate and pending release of a report from a House Ethics Committee investigation into sex trafficking allegations.

Citing meetings with members of the Senate and the uphill battle the nomination faced, Gaetz bowed out, stating that his “confirmation was becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.”

Gaetz, 42, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Department of Justice (DOJ) and notably resigned his post as US Representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District in a bid to avoid the release of a potentially damaging House Ethics Committee (HEC) report. While many of Trump’s cabinet nominations have been non-traditional, the choice of Gaetz as chief law enforcement officer was widely considered to be the most controversial.

Rep. Gaetz had been under investigation by either the DOJ or the HEC since 2020 for allegations that he had sex with a 17 year old girl. Gaetz had additionally been accused of attempting to cover up his involvement with trafficking sex workers for sex parties that involved illegal drugs. In 2021, an associate and friend of Gaetz was convicted of sex trafficking and bribery charges in connection with the investigations.

It was reported this week that a hacker had stolen documents from a related civil case that included unredacted deposition testimony from the 17 year old girl at the center of the allegations. According to ABC News, the woman testified to the ethics committee that Gaetz had sex with her while she was a minor.

The nomination faced opposition from Senate Republicans including Senators Max Miller and Susan Collins who both criticized the pick. Senate Democrats had been seeking a copy of the House report over resistance from Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.

Donald Trump reacted to the news by praising Gaetz for not wanting to be a “distraction” before insisting that the former representative had a “wonderful future.”