(The Hill) – Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) withdrew his nomination as President-elect Trump’s attorney general on Thursday, putting an end to a chaotic several days on Capitol Hill and making him one of the quickest in history to withdraw from Cabinet nominations.
His selection was swarmed with controversy, as he’s been accused of sexual misconduct. The House Ethics Committee voted Wednesday to keep its investigation into Gaetz’s allegations private, but lawmakers charged ahead with plans to finish the investigation.
Gaetz, who resigned from Congress immediately following Trump’s nomination essentially halting the investigation, has denied all allegations.
In a post on the social media platform X Thursday afternoon, he said while he had “excellent meetings” with senators, it was clear that his nomination was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the Trump transition team’s work.
Gaetz’s nomination lasted just eight days, making it one of the quickest withdrawals in U.S. history.
Here are the other history-making withdrawals for Cabinet appointees:
1. Edwin D. Morgan
Former Sen. Edwin D. Morgan was nominated by former President Lincoln on Feb. 13, 1865, to be Treasury Secretary, but he declined the appointment the same day.
2. Henry Dearborn
Former U.S. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn was nominated by former President Madison on March 1, 1815, to be reappointed as War Secretary, but the Senate rejected the nomination. Madison withdrew the nomination the next day.
3. David Tod
Former Ohio Gov. David Tod was nominated by former President Lincoln on Jun. 30, 1864, to be Treasury Secretary, but the next day, Tod declined the invitation citing poor health.
4. Zoe Baird
Lawyer Zoe Baird was nominated by former President Clinton to be the first woman attorney general on Jan. 20, 1993, but withdrew six days later after it was revealed she hired undocumented immigrants and did not pay Social Security taxes for them.
5. Linda Chavez
Former Director of White House Office of Public Engagement Linda Chavez was nominated to be Secretary of Labor by former President George W. Bush on Jan. 2, 2001, but withdrew her nomination seven days after it was discovered she employed an undocumented immigrant a decade earlier.
6. Bernard Kerik
Bernard Kerik, the former minister of the interior of Iraq, was nominated to be Homeland Security Secretary by former President George W. Bush on Dec. 3, 2004, but withdrew his nomination seven days later after it was revealed he hired an undocumented immigrant as a nanny.
7. Matt Gaetz
Gaetz’s withdraw was eight days after he was nominated by Trump, bringing him in at seventh on the list of quickest withdrawals.
8. Judd Gregg
Former Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) was nominated by former President Obama on Feb. 2, 2009, to serve as the Commerce Secretary. He withdrew his nomination 10 days later due to differences in governing and policy.