Surprise? Perhaps only in the timing. After an initial pass around the Senate in confabs, Matt Gaetz has decided to withdraw his nomination for Attorney General.

Gaetz cited the "distraction" his appointment had created for Donald Trump:

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…

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024

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.  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.  Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.  

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.

The translation of this appears to be that too many Senate Republicans were non-committal or worse to a Gaetz confirmation vote. The "distraction" appeared to be part of the charm for Trump, who had to know that Gaetz would become a lightning rod for controversy, and not just because of the House Ethics Committee report. Gaetz never did nurture intra-party relationships on Capitol Hill, and Republicans in both chambers had issues with the chaos he unleashed in the House without any strategy to provide a path forward after the Motion to Vacate.

One has to wonder why Gaetz gave up so quickly, though. Trump seemed determined to force the Senate caucus to vote on it as a loyalty test. In that sense, Gaetz may have provided some useful cover for Trump's other nominees as a kind of lightning rod for Resistance 2.0. Even if that didn't last to the start of the new session of Congress, it would have lasted through the holidays. 

That doesn't appear to have been the strategy, however. So what's next? We might ask that question about Gaetz first. He resigned from this session of Congress, but ...

Gaetz could serve in new Congress in January, despite having resigned this Congress. He was duly elected to the new Congress. However Gaetz indicated in his resignation letter from last week that he did “not intend” to serve in the next Congress

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 21, 2024

Gaetz might choose to serve in the next Congress, but ... that would mean the Ethics Committee could re-open the probe, too. His resignation ended their jurisdiction in this session, which meant that he could possibly avoid the publication of the details of the allegations and findings. It seems more likely that Trump will find him a place in the administration that doesn't require Senate confirmation, in an interesting West Wing position. 

Meanwhile, Trump has to look for another Attorney General nominee. The man considered the most likely to get the job in the first place -- Matt Whitaker -- could still fill it. He served as an acting AG before Trump appointed William Barr to the position and fared well in it. He's loyal enough to Trump that he got the nomination to be the next ambassador to NATO. That position would be easier to fill than the AG slot, and Whitaker seems more suited for the Department of Justice than State anyway. 

There are other choices too, of course. If Trump wants to get someone out of the Senate, then either Ted Cruz or Mike Lee would suit his needs very well. Both come from solid red states with governors who would pick reliable Republicans as replacements, although Greg Abbott is clearly more aligned with Trump than Spencer Cox. Abbott might be happier to see Ken Paxton get the nomination rather than Cruz, however, who finally won a blowout Senate victory in Texas. 

At the very least, Trump should consult with Cruz, Lee, and John Thune on his next choice. They would be motivated to find someone suitable for Trump who can also ensure a united Republican caucus on a confirmation vote. There's nothing wrong with some teamwork on these appointments, and a little of that up front could have avoided a few news cycles of distraction that ended up producing nothing of value for Trump in the end. 

Update: I think this is Trump's way of hinting at a White House position for Gaetz for being a loyal soldier in this effort. YMMV.