WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s choose for attorney general amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation which cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s head of federal law enforcement officials.

The announcement averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation battle that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s cabinet picks. It represents a setback in Trump’s efforts to install hardline loyalists in his administration and is the first indication of the resistance the president-elect may face within his own party to the checkered election.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who a day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support for confirmation to lead Department of Justice.

“There is no time to waste on an unnecessarily protracted Washington squabble, so I will withdraw my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he added.

Trump said in a post on social media: “I greatly appreciate the efforts that Matt Gaetz recently made to seek approval to become attorney general. He did very well but at the same time did not want to be a distraction to the administration, for which he has great respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I looking forward to seeing all the great things he will do!”

The selection of Gaetz just nine days ago to lead the department that once investigated him came even as Trump was believed to be considering other challengers with more extensive legal qualifications. In the Senate, deeply skeptical senators repeatedly expressed concern about the sex-trafficking allegations and demanded more information about a now-closed federal investigation. In the meantime, Justice Department lawyers were surprised by the choice of a partisan lawmaker who have repeatedly criticized their agency and echoed Trump in claiming it had been weaponized against political opponents.

In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman.

One of the women testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to attorney Joel Leppard. Leppard has said his client testified she didn’t believe Gaetz knew the girl was a minor, stopped their relationship when he found out and didn’t resume until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18.

“”They are grateful for the opportunity to move on with their lives,” Leppard said Thursday. “They hope this brings some final closure for all parties involved.”

Gaetz has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into allegations of sex trafficking involving underage girls had ended without any federal charges against him.

Gaetz’s political future is currently uncertain.

He had suddenly resigned from his congressional seat after being selected to become attorney general. That move was seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

Republicans on the committee declined this week to release their findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee agreed to end its work and is scheduled to meet again on Dec. 5 to discuss the issue.

As word of Gaetz’s decision spread across the Capitol, Republican senators appeared divided.

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the chamber, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put the country first and I’m pleased with his decision.”

Others said they had hoped Gaetz could have overseen the department.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he was “disappointed. I like Matt and I think he would have changed the way the DOJ is run.”

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he hopes Trump will pick someone “as tenacious and as committed to rooting out and eliminating bias and politicization at the DOJ.”

Late. Mike Rounds, RS.D., suggested Trump name Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a former prosecutor and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Trump needs someone he trusts, Rounds said, but also someone the Senate “recognizes, knows and also trusts.”

Rounds added that “the president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit. But the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent. And in this particular case, I think advice was offered rather than consent.”

Gaetz won re-election in November to the new Congress, which meets on January 3, 2025. But it is unclear if he will take office. There are plans for a special election in Florida for his seat.

Gaetz has said he “had no intention of” being sworn into the new Congress.

In his Nov. 13 resignation letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Gaetz said: “I am hereby resigning as the United States Representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district, effective immediately, and I do not intend to take the oath of office. for same office in the 119th Congress, to pursue the post of attorney general in the Trump administration.”

He sent a similar letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., when the state began a special election process to fill the vacancy.

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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report.