The House Ethics Committee received testimony from someone who claimed to have witnessed former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) engage in sexual misconduct with a high school girl, ABC News reported Friday.
This follows a development earlier in the week when the attorney for a woman who claims she and Gaetz had sexual contact when she was 17 — beneath the age of consent in Florida — called on the House Ethics Committee to release its report on the matter, which is expected to contain further damning information.
"My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor," Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC. "As the Senate considers former Rep. Gaetz's nomination for attorney general, several questions demand answers. What if multiple credible witnesses provided evidence of behavior that would constitute serious criminal violations?"
While such cases are often colloquially described as "having sex with a minor," experts have broadly discouraged the use of this term, as it implies a degree of consent that is not possible.
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Gaetz, who was tapped this week by Donald Trump to serve as his next attorney general, abruptly resigned from Congress just days ahead of when the Ethics Committee was set to vote on whether to release the report, which not only looks into allegations of child sex trafficking, but illicit drug use, acceptance of improper gifts, and obstruction. He was also investigated by the FBI for the sex trafficking allegation, but while one of his close associates took a plea deal in that case, Gaetz himself wasn't charged.
The former congressman, who has long been one of Trump's fiercest allies on Capitol Hill, has denied all the allegations.
While the Ethics Committee vote on whether to release the report was to take place Friday afternoon, it was canceled at the last minute. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is leaning on Republicans on the committee to vote to keep the report locked up, arguing that with Gaetz having resigned from Congress, the committee no longer has any jurisdiction over him.
At least some sources have suggested that Senate Republicans do not have the votes to confirm Gaetz as attorney general if his nomination moves forward.