Matt Gaetz: Ethics committee told of second sexual encounter between Trump’s AG pick and 17-year-old, sources say

CNN
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The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee that she had two sexual encounters with him at a party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony told CNN.

The woman, who was 17 at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, involved another adult woman. She also testified about both sexual encounters in a civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, sources said.

After being asked for comment for this story, Gaetz announced he was withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sex with a minor and was not charged after the Justice Department investigated those alleged encounters.

Gaetz and Trump worked to lock in support on Capitol Hill for the former Florida congressman to become the next attorney general. Members of the Republican-led House Ethics panel voted along party lines Wednesday not to release the results of their investigation and instead decided to reconvene Dec. 5 to vote on the final report.

The other woman, who was an adult at the time, has denied attending the alleged second meeting, according to multiple sources familiar with her ethics testimony.

The Justice Department ended its investigation of Gaetz last year after prosecutors recommended that he not be charged. The House Ethics Committee revived its investigation into the Florida lawmaker as the DOJ wrapped up its case and is facing mounting pressure to release its final report.

Allegations against Gaetz have also surfaced as part of a civil dispute in federal court in Florida. The deposition from the woman, who was 17 at the time, remains under seal, but her allegations were detailed during another deposition it is public record. At one point, attorneys said, she testified about having sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table at the house party while the homeowner watched.

An attorney for the woman, who was a minor at the time of the sexual encounters, has called for the ethics report to be released “immediately,” noting his client was a high school student at the time and saying there were witnesses.

Joel Leppard, an attorney representing two other women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee investigation, said one of his clients testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with a minor. Leppard said his client told the committee she did not believe Gaetz knew at the time that her friend was a minor.

Both of Leppard’s clients testified in camera before the committee. He has said they both testified that Gaetz paid them for “sexual favors.”

Leppard also called on the House Ethics Committee to release the report on Gaetz that emphasized the importance of transparency. “Democracy requires transparency. Release the Gaetz Ethics report,” Leppard said.

This report has been updated with further developments.