The House Ethics Committee that was investigating GOP representative Matt Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct—and was set to release a report on its findings before Gaetz was nominated as attorney general and resigned from his post—was reportedly told that he allegedly paid two women more than $10,000, in part for sex.
According to The Washington Post, records “exhibited during closed-door testimony displayed 27 PayPal and Venmo payments disbursed between July 2017 and January 2019 totaling over $10,000 paid to the two witnesses.” The witnesses are said to have testified to the panel that some of those payments were for sex. Earlier this week, a lawyer representing the women told ABC News that his clients had informed the ethics panel that Gaetz allegedly had sex with them on 10 to 15 occasions, primarily, as ABC News reported, at “drug-fueled parties” and were financially compensated “on many of those occasions…by the then congressman.” In a separate interview with CBS News, the attorney told the network that one of his clients told the committee that she saw Gaetz allegedly have sex with a 17-year-old in July 2017, six months after he was sworn in as a congressman.
Gaetz has denied all allegations against him. A spokesperson for the Trump transition told The Washington Post, “The Justice Department received access to roughly every financial transaction Matt Gaetz ever undertook and came to the conclusion that he committed no crime. These leaks are meant to undermine the mandate from the people to reform the Justice Department.”
Numerous Democrats and even some Republicans have demanded the ethics panel release its report on Gaetz. On Wednesday, the committee met behind closed doors, and voted against doing so. Also on Wednesday, Gaetz, accompanied by VP-elect JD Vance, met with Republican senators in the hopes of winning their support for his nomination. Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, urged his colleagues “not to join the lynch mob” mob against the former Florida congressman, saying they should “give the [confirmation] process a chance to move forward.”
Not every Republican believes Gaetz has a shot at actually becoming AG. “I think it’s an extremely difficult path. In fact, I just don’t see a path forward at this point,” Senator Markwayne Mullin told the Post. “But he has a right to push as hard as he wants to, and if he wants a hearing on it, that’s between him and the president.”
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