US president-elect Donald Trump has been dealt an embarrassing blow after his pick for attorney general bowed to pressure against his nomination.

Hardline Republican Matt Gaetz announced on Thursday (US time) he would withdraw his name from consideration, saying his confirmation was becoming a distraction.

It comes after days of pushback against Gaetz, who has been the subject of allegations of sexual misconduct against teenagers and illegal drug use.

The US House Ethics Committee has been deadlocked on whether to publicly release a report into the allegations against Gaetz.

“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,” he posted to 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. 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 honoured that president Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”

Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General.

“He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect.

“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”.

Gaetz’s withdrawal is the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party to picks with anti-establishment backgrounds.

Gaetz’s announcement came days after a lawyer for two women said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions from 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman.

He resigned from the House of Representatives after Trump announced he would nominate him for the cabinet.

One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the lawyer Joel Leppard.

Leppard has said that his client testified she did not think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18.

The age of consent in Florida is 18.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Last year he said the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.

-with AP