A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, having sex with a minor at a 2017 Orlando house party, her attorney revealed Friday, adding new complexity to the former congressman’s pending confirmation.
“My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017,” attorney Joel Leppard said. He added that he represents two witnesses who have provided testimony to the committee, telling NBC News, “The American people deserve to know the truth about the person slated to become the top law enforcement officer in the country.”
Gaetz, 42, who resigned his Florida congressional seat Wednesday following Trump’s nomination announcement, has consistently denied all sexual misconduct allegations. His spokesperson responded to the new allegations by questioning the Justice Department’s previous investigation: “Merrick Garland’s DOJ cleared Matt Gaetz and didn’t charge him. Are you alleging Garland is part of a cover-up?”
The former congressman was previously investigated by the FBI regarding sex-trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old but was not charged. Gaetz has maintained he was the target of an extortion plot. The federal investigation concluded last year.
The House Ethics Committee launched its own investigation in April 2021, initially deferring to the Justice Department’s request before reauthorizing the probe in 2023. The panel was scheduled to meet Friday to discuss releasing its report but canceled the meeting Thursday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday he plans to request the ethics panel withhold its report, arguing that releasing findings about a former member would constitute a “terrible breach of protocol.” However, several Republican senators have indicated they want access to the committee’s findings before proceeding with confirmation votes.
The situation is further complicated by Trump’s calls for the Republican Senate majority to allow recess appointments, potentially circumventing the traditional confirmation process. Gaetz, who represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District covering part of the Florida Panhandle, had been re-elected in November before his resignation to accept the nomination.
A former Florida state representative and law firm attorney, Gaetz served in Congress from 2017 until his resignation this week. The House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel of 10 members, has not indicated how it will proceed with its report now that Gaetz has left Congress.
The allegations and surrounding controversy pose significant challenges for Gaetz’s confirmation prospects as the nation’s top law enforcement official, with heightened scrutiny expected from both parties during the confirmation process.
NBCnews
