An legal professional representing two girls who had been witnesses within the Home Ethics Committee’s investigation into now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz is asking for the discharge of the committee’s report, telling ABC Information that one in all his purchasers testified that she witnessed the Florida congressman having intercourse with a minor.
“My shopper testified to the Home Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having intercourse with a minor,” Florida legal professional Joel Leppard advised ABC Information.
“Because the Senate considers former Rep. Gaetz’s nomination for legal professional normal, a number of questions demand solutions,” Leppard mentioned. “What if a number of credible witnesses supplied proof of conduct that may represent critical felony violations?”
“Democracy calls for transparency. Launch the Gaetz Ethics report,” mentioned Leppard, who represents two girls who sat for closed-door testimony with the committee over the summer season.
Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump chosen this week to function his legal professional normal, has lengthy denied any wrongdoing, together with have an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The Justice division declined to cost Gaetz final 12 months after a yearslong investigation into the allegations.
Gaetz didn’t reply to a request for remark from ABC Information relating to Leppard’s claims.
The 2 witnesses, who ABC Information will not be naming, each allegedly attended events with the congressman. Gaetz’s one-time pal Joel Greenberg is at present serving an 11-year jail sentence after reaching a take care of prosecutors in Might 2021 wherein he pleaded responsible to a number of federal crimes together with intercourse trafficking of the lady when she was a minor and introducing her to different “grownup males” who additionally had intercourse along with her when she was underage.
Consultant from Florida Matt Gaetz speaks throughout the third day of the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference on the Fiserv Discussion board in Milwaukee, Wisc., on July 17, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP by way of Getty Photos, FILE
Based on Greenberg’s plea deal, the lady, who ABC Information will not be figuring out, met Greenberg on-line in 2017 and commenced assembly him in inns and homes within the Center District of Florida, the place he “launched the Minor to different grownup males, who engaged in industrial intercourse acts with the Minor within the Center District of Florida,” court docket paperwork mentioned.
On the time, the minor “represented that she was an grownup” on the web site the place she met Greenberg — and in accordance with his plea settlement, he acknowledges that he “acted in reckless disregard of the truth that the Minor was lower than 18 years previous when he engaged in industrial intercourse acts” and had a “cheap alternative to look at” that she was underage.
Leppard’s assertion comes after legal professional John Clune, who represents the previous minor on the middle of the probe, referred to as for the discharge of the Ethics Committee’s report on Thursday.
“Mr. Gaetz’s probably nomination as Lawyer Common is a perverse improvement in a really darkish collection of occasions. We might help the Home Ethics Committee instantly releasing their report. She was a highschool scholar and there have been witnesses,” Clune mentioned in a press release.
The girl, who’s now in her 20s, testified to the Home Ethics Committee that the now-former Florida congressman had intercourse along with her when she was 17 years previous and he was in Congress, ABC Information beforehand reported.
In a press release responding to that reporting, Gaetz mentioned, “These allegations are invented and would represent false testimony to Congress. This false smear following a 3 12 months felony investigation ought to be seen with nice skepticism.”
The Justice Division spent years investigating the allegations in opposition to Gaetz, together with allegations of obstruction of justice, earlier than informing Gaetz final 12 months that it will not carry expenses.
Gaetz has lengthy vehemently denied any wrongdoing associated to the Justice Division probe. In September, he launched an in depth response to questions despatched to him by the Home Ethics Committee, which was investigating allegations of alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
“Your correspondence of September 4 asks whether or not I’ve engaged in sexual exercise with any particular person beneath 18. The reply to this query is unequivocally NO. You’ll be able to apply this response to each model of this query, in each discussion board,” Gaetz mentioned in a press release posted to his social media account.
Gaetz resigned from workplace this week after being chosen to steer Trump’s Justice Division, which ended the Home Ethics Committee’s probe that sources inform ABC Information had been getting into its last phases. Previous to Gaetz’s resignation, the committee had deliberate to fulfill this week to debate whether or not to launch their report on the investigation — leaving it unclear if the report will ever see the sunshine of day.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned on Friday that he doesn’t suppose the Home Ethics Committee ought to launch the findings of its investigation into Gaetz, now that the Florida Republican is not a member of Congress.
“I consider it is vitally necessary to take care of the Home’s custom of not issuing ethics stories on people who find themselves not members of Congress. I feel it will open a Pandora’s field,” he mentioned.
Leppard advised ABC Information he helps the discharge of the report.
“What if sworn testimony detailed conduct that may disqualify anybody from serving as our nation’s chief legislation enforcement officer?” the legal professional mentioned in his assertion to ABC Information.
