Shadows continue to loom over former Rep. Matt Gaetz as details emerge regarding alleged payments for sex and drug-fueled parties. According to anABC Newsinterview with Florida attorney Joel Leppard, the Republican former congressman and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, allegedly compensated two women to travel to New York for sexual encounters. The allegations come after a Justice Department probe ended in 2023 without charges against Gaetz.
During a closed-door testimony before a private bipartisan committee, Leppard’s clients provided text messages and reviewed Venmo records that purported to document these payments, some of which were labeled as non-descript purchases. “They testified that they met up with Matt Gaetz in New York in January of 2019 for his appearance on Fox News … Mr. Gates paid them for the tickets to come to New York for the trip,” Leppard toldABC News’ Juju Chang. It’s reported that the women were also present at drug-fueled parties and other private events with Gaetz.
In tandem,CBS Newsreported that the women testified to the House Ethics Committee about direct and repeated Venmo transactions “for sex”, with their attorney stating transactions and text message evidence were obtained by the committee. The events in question span from 2017 through January 2019, overlapping with Gaetz’s tenure in the House.
Leppard detailed that the women also testified about trips to the Bahamas and other parties where drugs were consumed and where Gaetz allegedly initiated coded requests for drugs in text messages. “The party favors, of course, meant MDMA or Molly, which was consumed at every one of these events,” Leppard elucidated. Despite the past DOJ’s decision not to charge, the House Ethics Committee’s report remains pending, with members deliberating on making their findings public, as detailed byABC News.
In light of these claims, Trump’s transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer stated, “Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system,” as obtained byABC News. Assertions that these allegations are politically motivated are refuted by the attorney of the two women who insists that his clients did not come forward voluntarily but were compelled by a legal subpoena.
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