Gaetz, who resigned from the US House of Representatives last week, is the subject of an ethics committee investigation into allegations of sexual relations with a girl under the age of 17. He has denied wrongdoing.

Senate Republicans also expressed anger at being asked to vote for Gaetz without seeing the results of a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gaetz, in a post on X, said he wanted to avoid drawing attention to the incoming Trump administration. "There is no time to waste on an unnecessary, protracted debate in Washington, so I will be withdrawing my name from consideration to be Attorney General," Gaetz wrote.

Gaetz, who was nominated last week, has never worked at the US Justice Department or as a prosecutor at any level of government. He was also investigated by the FBI for nearly three years over sexual misconduct allegations, but the investigation ended without a decision.

“There was probably some information that the president didn’t know when he made the initial recommendation,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds. Trump’s choice of Gaetz had surprised even his supporters.

After the news was announced, Mr. Trump nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as US Attorney General to replace Gaetz.

“Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, tough on violent crime and keeping Florida families safe on the streets. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the drug trade…”, Mr. Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.

Another of Mr Trump's nominees, Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth, who has been tapped to be the next US Secretary of Defense, has also been embroiled in controversy over allegations of an affair.

Bui Huy (according to Reuters, CNN)