A woman declared before the Comisión de Etica de la Cámara that she saw Gaetz having sexual relations with a minor, according to her lawyer

(CNN) – The lawyer who represents two women witnesses in the investigation of the Ethics Committee of the House on the ex-congressman Matt Gaetz affirmed this Friday that one of his clients declared before the panel that the congressman had sexual relations with him.

“My client testified before the Ethics Committee of the Chamber that he testified that Matt Gaetz had sexual relations with a minor,” lawyer Joel Leppard said. We have received clients as testimony of a puerta cerrada como parte de la investigación, ahora cerrada, contra el republicano de Florida.

La Comisión estaba investigando accusaciones de que Gaetz pudo haber “participating in conduct sexually inapropiada y uso ilícito de drogas, aceptado regalos indebidos, otorgado privilegios y favores especiales a personas con las que mantensio relaciones trasciado de personaltenía relacionir investigado govermentales sobre su conducta”. Gaetz negó repetidamente cualquier irregularidad, includante har tenido relaciones sexuales con una menor or haber paidado por sexo.

Cuando se le pregunto este viernes sobre el testimonio, primero informado by ABC News, un portavoz de Gaetz dijo a CNN que “el Departamento de Justicia de Merrick Garland exoneró a Matt Gaetz y no acusó”.

El Departamento de Justicia had carried out an investigation for several years on sexual offenses against Gaetz, but finally decided last year not to present criminal charges.

The research received renewed attention in the last days after President-elect Donald Trump announced at the beginning of this week his intention to nominate Gaetz as Secretary of Justice in his new administration.

If the Senate approves the nomination, Gaetz will assume leadership of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the main law enforcement agency in the country, and will have control over the investigation files that detail the FBI’s investigation into sexual trafficking. cons.

El Departamento de Justicia considers that los archivos eran demasiado sensitives para ser comppartidos inclulo con la Comisión de Etica de la Cámara.

The resignation of Gaetz to the Congress to prepare for the confirmation process put an end to the investigation of the Congress, because the panel alone has jurisdiction over the members who are active.

Los démócrats immediately demanded the publication of the much-anticipated findings of the commission, a call that Leppard respaldó este viernes, arguing that “la democracia exige transparencia”.

Este jueves por la noche, los republicanos canceled a meeting scheduled for este viernes with los démócratas del panel que se esperaba aborrasa el informe, según fuentes informaron a CNN. In addition, El Presidente de la Cámara, Mike Johnson, dijo este viernes that he does not believe that the findings of the Commission deban ser publicados y que iba a “firmamente solicitar” que no lo haga.

Gaetz is solo for the numerous nominees that are controversial that Trump has been awarded, including a veteran and presenter of Fox News, Pete Hegseth, who has turned out to be a questionista on a transción of the president.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox contribute an este informed.