The lawyer revealed that two clients told the ethics committee that Gaetz paid them through Venmo. One of them saw the congressman having sexual relations with a 17-year-old minor.
The election of Congressman Matt Gaetz for the position of Attorney General of the United States continues to generate controversy, at a time when new details are known about the accusations against him during the investigation by the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives. This Monday, the lawyer representing two women interviewed during the investigation said that Gaetz paid them in exchange for sex.
Speaking to ABC News, Joel Leppard explained that the payment was made through the Venmo app and that proof of the transaction was displayed on a screen during the two women’s hearing. “[O comité] He asked them about it. And my clients have testified repeatedly. ‘What was the payment for?’ ‘It was for sex’“, he reported.
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According to the lawyer, one of his clients He also saw Gaetz having sexual relations with a minor, who was 17 years old at the time. “She testified that in July 2017, at a party at her house, she was leaving the pool area, looked to her right, and saw Congressman Gaetz having sex with her friend,” he revealed.
The episode was reported to the ethics committee, and his client explained that, as far as he knew, Gaetz did not know the young woman’s age. “When he found out she was a minor, he broke up with her and He did not continue his sexual relations until he was 18 years old.“he explained.
The congressman began to be investigated by the Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives in April 2021. In November of that year, shortly before the release of the body’s report, he announced his resignation from his position, which stopped the investigation. Therefore, the document must remain confidential, but given Gaetz’s appointment to Donald Trump’s administration, the committee decided to vote this Wednesday to decide whether it should be published or not. Lawyer Joel Leppard had already left a call for the information to be shared.
The president-elect of the United States announced the appointment of Gaetz to his administration on November 13, describing the congressman as “a talented and tenacious prosecutor.” For now, Donald Trump’s team maintains that “he is the right man for the job.” “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general,” said the spokesman for Trump’s transition team in statements to ABC News.
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“These are unfounded accusations that are intended to disrupt the second Trump administration,” said Alex Pfeiffer, recalling that the Department of Justice also investigated him, ending up “declaring him innocent.”
The spokesperson was referring to the investigation that was carried out in the North American justice system for suspicions of sexual trafficking of minors, but which did not result in charges. The Ethics Committee investigation followed to investigate several allegations, including sexual misconduct and drug use.
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Source: Observadora
