Washington, 21 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Matt Gaetz, US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, has withdrawn his name from consideration after coming under intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gaetz's abrupt announcement on Thursday came a day after he tried to shore up support among the senators in Washington who will have the final say in approving Trump's Cabinet nominees.

Trump's Republicans will hold a narrow majority of 53 of the 100 seats in the incoming Senate. A few dissenters in their own ranks would have been enough to torpedo the appointment and deal an embarrassing blow to the start of Trump's second term.

"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," Gaetz wrote in a post on X.

"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, a hard-right former member of the House of Representatives from Florida and one of Trump's most ardent loyalists, was picked a week ago by Trump to be the top law enforcement officer in the US.

The attorney general leads the powerful Justice Department, which is sure to play a major role in Trump's second term - especially given the ongoing criminal proceedings against the president-elect himself.

But 42-year-old Gaetz's selection brought renewed attention on past scandals, including a federal sex-trafficking investigation into him that was ultimately dropped and a long-running probe by a congressional ethics panel into possible sexual misconduct and drug use, among other allegations.

Much of the attention has focussed on the claim that Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old while he was serving in Congress. Gaetz denies any wrongdoing.

The House Ethics Committee has prepared a report into the allegations but Republican members of the panel have blocked its release. Gaetz resigned his seat in the House of Representatives shortly after being named a pick for Trump's Cabinet.

In his post, Gaetz 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."

Gaetz is opposed to abortion and is against aid to Ukraine. After Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Gaetz baselessly blamed left-wing extremist group Antifa for the violence.