Matt Gaetz: Trump's attorney general pick hampered by accusations

Key Facts About The Matt Gaetz Allegations

Matt Gaetz has been under scrutiny for a congressional ethics investigation for a considerable time.

Matt Gaetz, the man chosen to potentially become America's next leading law enforcement official, is facing several accusations that might hinder his chances for the position. Here’s everything you should be aware of regarding these claims.

The Florida legislator is currently under a prolonged investigation by a congressional ethics committee concerning various allegations related to drugs, bribery, and sexual misconduct.

A woman who was at a party with him in 2017 has told the House committee that she witnessed the former congressman engaged in sexual activity with a minor, according to her attorney.

The same attorney claimed on Monday that this witness and another woman received payment from Gaetz to engage in sexual activities with him.

Gaetz has rejected any allegations of misconduct and described the inquiry into his actions as a "smear tactic."

The Department of Justice (DoJ), which Gaetz would oversee in the future, looked into the allegation related to the minor but decided not to press any criminal charges against him.

Upon finding out that President-elect Donald Trump had nominated him, he stepped down from Congress, which made him inaccessible to the ethics panel's investigation.

There's increasing pressure for it to release its findings, and the widespread concern across political parties could jeopardize his nomination, which needs approval from the Senate.

What Are The Accusations?

At 42 years old, Gaetz served as the representative for Florida's first congressional district in the House of Representatives.

He rose to prominence in the 2016 election that also brought Donald Trump into the presidency.

A strong supporter of Trump, he has consistently frustrated Democrats and even some Republicans with his outrageous public behavior and rumored heavy partying habits.

Since 2021, the often-hidden House Ethics Committee has been looking into accusations against Gaetz. These allegations involve claims that he engaged in sexual activity with a minor, used illegal drugs, took bribes, mishandled campaign funds, and shared inappropriate photos while in the House.

The Floridian has consistently and strongly rejected any allegations of misconduct, portraying the investigation as an effort by influential political adversaries to tarnish his reputation.

He has also pointed out that the Department of Justice concluded a separate three-year federal investigation into sex trafficking last year without bringing any charges against him.

"Falsehoods were used as a tool to attempt to ruin me," Gaetz wrote on X on Friday.

These falsehoods led to legal action, a guilty verdict, and time behind bars. The consequences fell on the deceivers, not on me.

Joel Greenberg, who used to be friends with Gaetz, was the only individual indicted in the Department of Justice's sex trafficking probe. He worked with the investigators and allegedly shared details with prosecutors about several other people, including Gaetz himself.

Greenberg is currently in prison for 11 years after admitting to various federal offenses. These include trafficking minors for sex, committing wire fraud, stalking, stealing identities, creating false identification cards, and working with others to cheat the U.S. government.

Is There A Case Against Gaetz?

In his collaboration with federal prosecutors, Greenberg acknowledged that he frequently paid young women to join him and his friends at parties where drug use and sexual activities took place.

One of the girls he hired for sex was at least 17 years old at the time. Greenberg claimed that Gaetz had sexual relations with her as well. Federal authorities looked into this allegation, but they could not confirm its accuracy.

No formal charges were brought against Gaetz, who has strongly refuted the accusations, and the federal investigation was eventually concluded.

The congressional investigation was still ongoing and was expected to share its conclusions soon. However, this was put on hold after Trump stated that he wanted Gaetz to head the Department of Justice.

Just a few hours after Gaetz was nominated for the attorney general position, he stepped down from his role in the House. This move put a stop to the publication of the investigation's results.

His exit from Congress indicates that he is no longer subject to congressional oversight.

Joel Leppard, the attorney for the young woman involved in the allegations against Gaetz, has urged for the report to be made public. He stated that the young woman testified before the committee, claiming that she had sexual relations with Gaetz when she was in high school, and noted that there were witnesses to this.

He mentioned that another client of his claimed she saw Gaetz engaging in sexual activity with the 17-year-old at that time.

CBS News, in collaboration with the BBC, has found out that the committee has received testimonies from at least four women claiming they were compensated to participate in parties involving drugs and sex, where Gaetz was reportedly in attendance.

On Monday, Mr. Leppard informed CBS that the committee had reviewed proof of transactions conducted on the Venmo app between Gaetz and certain women, which they claimed were payments for sexual services.

Gaetz has refuted allegations of engaging in sexual activity with a minor or compensating women for sexual encounters.

Speaker Johnson: Publishing the Gaetz ethics report could lead to unexpected complications.

Will The Committee Release Its Report?

Current House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his opposition to the report being made public during a Sunday interview on Fox News. He warned that it could "open Pandora's box" if the committee began releasing reports on individuals who aren't part of the organization.

"We don't conduct investigations or ethics reports for individuals who aren't part of Congress," he stated. "I believe doing so would violate our procedures and could pose risks for us in the future."

He also mentioned to reporters that he would "firmly ask" for the report to remain private since the regulations state that "a former member is not subject to the ethics committee's authority."

Committee members are scheduled to convene this Wednesday and could potentially vote on whether to make the report public, as reported by US media outlets. When contacted by the BBC, a spokesperson chose not to provide any comments.

Will This Impact Gaetz's Confirmation Chances?

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Gaetz will require 50 votes in the Senate for his nomination to pass once Trump is inaugurated on January 20.

If four Republican senators oppose his nomination and all the Democratic and independent senators join them, his nomination will not succeed.

A name may also be removed from the running if the leaders feel it lacks enough backing.

The confirmation hearing for Gaetz would mean that some of these scandalous claims would need to be discussed openly.

According to Axios, Trump is personally reaching out to Republicans to encourage their support for Gaetz.

A representative for the Trump transition team announced that Trump remains supportive of his choice.

“He will be the next Attorney General,” he stated, referring to Matt Gaetz. “These accusations are unfounded and aimed at disrupting the upcoming Trump administration.”