Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that he is withdrawing his name from consideration to serve as Attorney General under President-elect Donald Trump.

The former Florida congressman explained that while he had strong momentum and support, his confirmation process had become a distraction to the Trump/Vance transition team.

“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 stated.

Despite positive meetings with Senators, Gaetz concluded that stepping aside was necessary to ensure the transition’s critical work proceeds without unnecessary delays.