A woman testified before the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed then-Rep. Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando in 2017. Gaetz, who was selected by President-elect Donald Trump for the U.S. attorney general position, denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and resigned from Congress after the announcement.
The woman’s lawyer, Joel Leppard, stated that his client testified before the committee in April and that he represents two witnesses who provided testimony regarding Gaetz. The FBI investigated Gaetz on sex-trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old but did not charge him with any crime, and the federal investigation ended last year. Gaetz claimed he was the target of an extortion plot.
The House Ethics Committee investigation was launched in April 2021 and was reauthorized in 2023 after the Department of Justice withdrew its deferral request. Some Republican senators want details from the committee’s report before a confirmation vote for Gaetz, but House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to request that the report not be released now that Gaetz is no longer in Congress.
The Senate is expected to vote on Gaetz’s confirmation as attorney general, but a recess appointment could be possible. Trump has urged the Republican Senate majority to allow him to make recess appointments. The bipartisan House Ethics Committee, made up of 10 members, was set to meet to discuss the report on Gaetz, but it was called off.
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