Two girls interviewed by the Home Ethics Committee about former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, President-elect Donald Trump’s choose to be legal professional normal, testified that Gaetz paid them immediately and repeatedly in Venmo transactions “for intercourse,” and that these transactions had been obtained by the committee, an legal professional for the ladies informed CBS Information. The legal professional, Joel Leppard, additionally stated the ladies testified that Gaetz inquired in textual content messages about “occasion favors” and “nutritional vitamins” at upcoming events, which was understood to be code for medication.
Leppard, who is predicated in Orlando, stated his purchasers testified that they attended events from 2017 to January 2019 the place Gaetz was current and intercourse and drug use befell. In an interview Monday with CBS Information chief Washington correspondent Main Garrett, Leppard stated one in every of his purchasers testified earlier than the Home Ethics Committee that she witnessed Gaetz having intercourse with a 17-year-old woman towards a recreation desk at a July 2017 occasion. Gaetz was sworn into Congress in January 2017, so the entire occasions the ladies allege befell whereas he was a member of the Home.
Officers with the Trump transition group didn’t reply to requests for remark Monday. One supply accustomed to Gaetz’s authorized place questioned the credibility of the ladies and argued their recollections wouldn’t have withstood cross examination in court docket, had it come to that.
Gaetz, who has denied all wrongdoing, together with having intercourse with a minor, has blasted the committee’s investigation towards him and on Thursday known as the testimony about him a “false smear.”
Gaetz’s conduct was additionally investigated by federal prosecutors, however they ended the probe in 2023 with out submitting costs.
Because the Home Ethics Committee weighs whether or not to launch its report, which investigated allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and bribery, Leppard stated his purchasers need the general public to know they’re telling the reality.
One in all his purchasers stated in a textual content to Leppard, “‘No matter what number of occasions he tries to distract from the reality, the general public deserves to know that what all of us skilled was actual and truly occurred.'”
“My purchasers aren’t political; they did not vote within the final two elections — they do not care a method or one other,” Leppard informed Garrett. “However they do need the general public to know that they aren’t mendacity. They didn’t come ahead willingly — they’ve by no means spoken to anybody with out a power of a authorized subpoena.”
He continued, “And if the American folks would know, then they may resolve if that is the individual they need to be the following legal professional normal.”
One in all Leppard’s purchasers is amongst no less than 4 girls who’ve informed the committee they had been paid to attend events with medication and intercourse the place Gaetz was current, based on a number of sources accustomed to the matter. Her account corroborates the testimony of the then-minor, who informed the committee that she had intercourse with Gaetz when she was 17 years outdated.
On the July 2017 occasion the place his shopper alleges this occurred, Leppard stated she and others had been “on the occasion with the intention to present leisure, to be joyful, to be energetic and supply sexual favors for the gents that had been current.”
“The expectation was that they might have sexual activity,” Leppard stated his purchasers testified about these events. “They testified to the Home that — and the Home truly had their Venmo transactions, PayPal transactions, of Consultant Gaetz.”
Leppard stated the Home panel requested the ladies about Gaetz’s PayPal and Venmo transactions.
“‘What was this for? What was this for,'” Leppard stated his purchasers had been requested.
“‘This was for intercourse,'” he stated they responded. “‘This was for intercourse. This was for intercourse.'”
Leppard stated the funds had been sometimes between $200 and $500 at a time.
He stated his purchasers additionally testified that generally, somebody apart from Gaetz would make a cost on his behalf. On no less than one event, based on Leppard, that was Nestor Galban, a Cuban immigrant who’s near Gaetz and whom Gaetz has known as his “son.” He stated different funds on Gaetz’s behalf had been made by Gaetz affiliate Joel Greenberg, who was convicted in 2022 of intercourse trafficking of a minor and different crimes.
Leppard stated his shopper who testified that she noticed Gaetz having intercourse with the 17-year-old additionally informed the panel she didn’t imagine Gaetz was conscious of her age on the time.
“My shopper, no less than, testified that he didn’t know her age,” Leppard stated.
Leppard’s shopper testified that she knew the 17-year-old woman and her age, and stated the 2 attended highschool collectively.
His shopper testified that she had intercourse with Gaetz after arriving on the July 2017 home occasion. Later throughout the occasion, his shopper testified, she was strolling outdoors when she noticed Gaetz having intercourse together with her buddy, the 17-year-old, towards the gaming desk.
Leppard stated one in every of his purchasers supplied greater than 100 texts involving Gaetz to the committee. Often, Leppard stated, the texts his shopper supplied confirmed Gaetz must be reminded to pay.
“There was plenty of texts requesting cost, like, ‘Hey, when are you going to pay me?'” Leppard stated. “Or, ‘I do not need to be that woman, however are you able to please go forward and pay me what we agreed upon?’ Textual content messages alongside these traces. The texts the Home was extra keen on was those the place Consultant Gaetz was seemingly requesting that medication be current.”
“So, in my line of labor as a prison protection legal professional, nobody ever requests, ‘Are you able to give me some medication, please?'” Leppard stated. “They often use code phrases. And so Consultant Gaetz would use phrases like, ‘Are you able to guarantee that there are occasion favors current?’ Or, ‘Who’s answerable for occasion favors?’ He used the time period ‘occasion favor mecca’ when he was referring to a different particular person who was bringing occasion favors. He additionally used the time period ‘nutritional vitamins,’ I imagine.”
Nonetheless, Leppard’s purchasers informed the Home panel they may not particularly recall whether or not they had seen Gaetz use marijuana or different medication.
The texts additionally included a “lot of optimistic emojis,” Leppard stated, like hearts, and “optimistic statements” forwards and backwards between Gaetz, his purchasers and others. Leppard characterised the connection with Gaetz as an advanced one, but in addition one in every of friendship, and he additionally informed Garrett that his purchasers knew Gaetz’s girlfriend on the time.
“No less than one in every of my purchasers testified that, in a way, they had been required to please Mr. Gaetz earlier than going out and attending their [Electronic Dance Music] present,” Leppard stated of 1 alleged event about which his shopper testified. “And that was one thing that was of specific curiosity to the Home. Consultant Gaetz’s girlfriend texted them, and so they primarily took care of their duties, and afterward, they went to see their present.”
Leppard stated his purchasers have “been by heck” and are frightened that in the event that they testify earlier than the Senate or wherever else publicly, “they won’t be secure of their jobs.”
The Home Ethics Committee had deliberate to vote Friday, Nov. 15, on releasing its report, however the assembly was canceled after Trump introduced his intention Wednesday to nominate Gaetz, after which a number of hours later, the Florida Republican abruptly resigned from Congress. The panel is now set to fulfill Wednesday, two sources informed CBS Information.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson stated Friday he would “strongly request” that the Home Ethics Committee withhold the report on its investigation into Gaetz. The committee has equal illustration amongst Democrats and Republicans — 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
Democratic and Republican senators who would vote on Gaetz’s affirmation as legal professional normal have stated they need entry to the ethics panel’s report.
