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When Matt Gaetz, the president-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Justice Department, was a member of the House in 2017.
He paid a woman for sex at a small, invitation-only party in Florida, where prostitution is prohibited, according to the woman’s lawyer on Monday.
Joel Leppard stated in an interview that the lady also claimed to have witnessed Gaetz having sex with her buddy, who was 17 at the time, at the same Orlando party that was invitation-only.
According to Leppard, two women he represents—whom NBC News has chosen not to identify—told House Ethics Committee investigators.
That Gaetz repeatedly paid them for sex and that they think the committee’s findings on Gaetz ought to be made public.
“They are speaking the truth and they want the American people to know the truth,” he stated. One of his customers, who was 19 at the time, was introduced.
To Gaetz and escorted upstairs to have sex with him within minutes of arriving at the Orlando party, according to Leppard.
According to Leppard, she spotted Gaetz and her young companion having sex against a gaming table later that night as she was going outdoors to the pool area.
He said, “She has a very vivid memory of this.” In an interview with the House Ethics Committee, which had been looking at Gaetz intermittently since 2021, Leppard claimed his client narrated it this spring.
Gaetz, who was not charged with any crimes, was also the subject of an investigation by the Justice Department over alleged sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl.
According to Leppard’s client’s testimony, she didn’t believe Gaetz was aware that the girl was a juvenile.
After learning of it, he said, Gaetz “stopped their sexual relationship” and “did not resume it until after she turned 18” in December 2017.
According to Leppard, his client took part in a taped call with Gaetz in 2020 as part of a Justice Department inquiry, which was requested and watched by the FBI.
However, prosecutors decided not to press charges. Both the FBI and the Justice Department chose not to comment.
The 42-year-old Gaetz has long refuted the accusations, saying he was the victim of an extortion scheme.
Gaetz’s representatives referred NBC News to a statement from Trump’s transition team but did to respond to specific questions on Leppard’s claims.
Gaetz, a former Republican U.S. Representative from Florida, resigned from Congress last week following Trump’s announcement that he would be nominated to lead the Justice Department as attorney general.
Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer described the accusations as “baseless” and stated that their purpose was to “derail the second Trump administration” in a statement released on Monday.
“The next Attorney General will be Matt Gaetz. He will put a stop to the weaponization of our legal system and is the ideal candidate for the position,” Pfeiffer stated.
As Gaetz confronts a difficult road to Senate confirmation, Leppard revealed more information regarding his clients’ accusations.
According to Leppard, his clients produced copious amounts of material, including hundreds of text conversations exchanged with Gaetz, and were subpoenaed to testify before the House Ethics Committee.
A copy of the subpoena was examined by NBC News. The Ethics Committee chose not to respond to inquiries.
Gaetz was accused by Leppard of using the term “party favors” as a euphemism for narcotics in text exchanges.
He stated that his clients reported using narcotics, namely marijuana, and ecstasy at the gatherings. Leppard stated that the committee was worried about illicit drug usage and sex-related payments, and that this “seemed to matter” to them.
Leppard said that his customers had sex with Gaetz outside of Florida at least twice. According to Leppard, Gaetz took his customers to the Bahamas in 2018 and New York City in 2019, where they had intercourse with him.
According to Leppard, Gaetz covered the women’s airfare, accommodation, and entertainment costs during the travels, but they were not compensated for their sex.
The probe, which has been going on for years, has not been officially reported by the nonpartisan Ethics Committee, which lost authority over Gaetz when he retired.
The committee announced on Monday that it will address the report at its meeting on Wednesday. Leppard stated that he is advocating for his clients, who wish to avoid public testimony by having the committee publish the report.
According to Leppard, the two ladies are private individuals with no political affiliations and no incentive to overthrow Gaetz.