Washington After giving closed-door testimony to the House Ethics Committee earlier this year, a lawyer for two women who have accused former Representative Matt Gaetz of paying them for sex stated in an interview with NBC News that his clients do not wish to appear in public.
Joel Leppard, an Orlando-based lawyer, told NBC News in an interview Monday that the two women previously told the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz paid them for sex on several occasions and that one of them saw him have sex with a buddy who was 17 at the time. According to Leppard, his clients now “hope to put pressure on the House to release the contents of the investigation” in order to avoid coming up with the same accusations again in public.
“That would be, basically, a worst-case situation for them, is to be forced to out themselves in public,” he stated.
Gaetz, a conservative rabble-rouser during his nearly eight years in the House, was named attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump last week. Following Trump’s declaration, Gaetz formally resigned from office, and it is unclear if the House Ethics Committee, which had been looking into him for the past three years, will make its final findings public. (Only current members of Congress are under the committee’s jurisdiction.)
According to Leppard, his clients would only testify in public “with a valid legal subpoena that requires them to speak” and only spoke to the Ethics Committee with a subpoena.
“They have endured a great deal, and the toll this investigation has taken is, in some respects, more severe than what has occurred previously. Therefore, he stated, “this investigation has reopened old wounds.”
“There is no agenda for them. There is no political motivation among my clients. “They haven’t cast a ballot in the previous two elections,” Leppard continued.
Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Monday that he is open to inviting the Gaetz accusers to testify during an attorney general confirmation hearing. However, he stated that he would rather have such material from the Justice Department or via the House Ethics Committee report.
Regarding inviting the ladies to speak before the Judiciary panel, Durbin stated, “I wouldn’t rule it out.”
He did, however, add that obtaining a copy of the House Ethics Committee’s report—which is comprehensive and politically balanced—would be the best place to start. At some time, the Department of Justice’s own inquiry might be cited. I want to consult those two sources before thinking about subpoenas.
Beginning on January 3, Durbin’s authority will be drastically curtailed because he will be in the minority at any future hearing by the Judiciary Committee to confirm Gaetz. Democrats may call the women who brought accusations against Gaetz and spoke before the House Ethics Committee, but the minority usually has the opportunity to select witnesses who will testify to the character and work of a nominee.
The House Ethics Committee, chaired by Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., and Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., is scheduled to meet Wednesday to decide whether to make public the panel’s report on its extensive, multi-year investigation into claims that Gaetz used illegal drugs and committed sexual misconduct, accepted inappropriate gifts, provided special favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and obstructed the investigation.
Gaetz has refuted all of the accusations and refused to answer specific questions about Leppard’s interview with NBC on Monday. The Trump transition team referred to the accusations against Gaetz as “baseless,” pointing out that the Justice Department had been looking into him for years for allegedly sex-trafficking a 17-year-old girl, but that in February 2023, DOJ told Gaetz that it was ending its investigation without filing charges against him. The Justice Department has refrained from providing an explanation for its decision to not bring charges against Gaetz.
Democrats on the House Ethics Committee, including Wild, want the findings made public or at the very least submitted to Senate Judiciary members for their consideration. Although he maintains that he has not meddled in the panel’s independence, Trump ally Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is actively lobbying the House committee not to release the findings.
The Ethics Committee has not received any directives from me. I have no right to do it. According to Johnson, I have been extremely forthright with reporters. I’m only answering the questions that are being asked of me by all American media outlets: Should a report, if one exists, be made public? And the response is no.
One of his clients, according to Leppard, testified before the House Ethics panel in April that she saw Gaetz having sex with her juvenile companion in person during a 2017 house party in Orlando. In her testimony, Leppard’s client stated that she did not believe Gaetz was aware that the girl was a juvenile and that she thinks he ended their sexual relationship after finding out the girl’s age, which was after she turned 18.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, another Democrat on the Judiciary panel, stated that he would not support compelling the two women to testify before the Judiciary Committee if they choose not to, citing concerns that it could re-victimize them.
If they refuse, I wouldn’t utilize the subpoena, Blumenthal told NBC News.
Leppard stated that his clients’ only objective is to have the House publish its report. The American people can choose whether Rep. Gaetz is the most qualified candidate to be the nation’s top law enforcement official if that report—which includes the findings of the 25 subpoenas and the thousands of documents that were submitted to the House—is made public,” he stated.
Several Republican senators have voiced skepticism about Gaetz’s chances of receiving Senate confirmation. However, Trump has made it apparent that he is committed to appointing Gaetz as his top law enforcement official, and this week, Vice President-elect JD Vance will be on Capitol Hill setting up talks between Gaetz and other anticipated Cabinet members as well as Republican senators.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., revealed to NBC News Tuesday that Trump personally contacted him and asked him to support Gaetz. However, the senator stated that he has not yet made up his mind regarding his vote on the nominee.
Cramer stated, “I remain skeptical but open as the process moves,” but added, “Trump is always persuasive and has earned the capital from the voters.”
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