Matt Gaetz allegedly paid two women for sex in 2017, lawyer says

Matt Gaetz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, paid a woman for sex at a small invitation-only party in Florida, where prostitution is illegal, in 2017 while he was a member of the House of Representatives and the attorney of the woman said Monday.

In an interview, Joel Leppard said the woman also said she saw Gaetz having sex with her girlfriend, who was 17 at the time, at the same invitation-only party in Orlando.

Leppard said two women he represents, whom NBC News is not naming, told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex several times and that they believe the committee’s report on Gaetz should be released publicly .

“They want the American people to know the truth and to speak the truth,” he said.

Within minutes of arriving at the party in Orlando, one of his clients, who was 19 at the time, was introduced to Gaetz and then taken upstairs to have sex with him, Leppard said. Later that night, as she walked outside to go to the pool, she said, she saw Gaetz and her underage girlfriend having sex against a gaming table, Leppard said.

“This is a very vivid memory she has,” he said.

Leppard said his client mentioned this this spring in an interview with the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating Gaetz on and off since 2021. The Justice Department also investigated Gaetz over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl; He was not charged with any crime.

Leppard’s client testified that she did not think Gaetz knew the girl was a minor, he said. He added that Gaetz “stopped their sexual relationship” when he found out and “only resumed it after she turned 18” around December 2017.

Leppard said his client participated in a recorded conversation with Gaetz in 2020 as part of a Justice Department investigation at the request and review of the FBI, but prosecutors ultimately declined to file charges. The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment.

Gaetz, 42, has long denied the allegations, claiming he was the target of an extortion scheme. Representatives for Gaetz declined to answer detailed questions about Leppard’s allegations, but pointed NBC News to a statement from Trump’s transition team.

Gaetz, a former Republican U.S. representative from Florida, resigned from Congress last week after Trump announced plans to appoint him attorney general, who would oversee the Justice Department.

In a statement Monday, Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer called the allegations “baseless” and said they were intended to “derail the second Trump administration.”

“Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He is the right man for the job and will put an end to the weaponization of our justice system,” Pfeiffer said.

Leppard has shared new details about his clients’ claims as Gaetz faces a difficult road to his Senate confirmation.

Leppard said his clients were subpoenaed to testify before the House Ethics Committee and provided extensive documentation, including hundreds of text messages between them and Gaetz. NBC News has reviewed a copy of the subpoena. The ethics committee declined to comment.

Leppard accused Gaetz of using the phrase “party favors” in text messages as code for drugs. His clients said there were drugs at the parties, mainly marijuana, and also ecstasy, he added.

That “seemed to matter” to the committee, Leppard said, adding that committee members were concerned about illegal drug use and payments for sex.

On at least two occasions, Leppard said, his clients had sex with Gaetz outside Florida. Gaetz flew Leppard’s clients to New York City in 2019 and the Bahamas in 2018, where they had sex with him, Leppard said. The women were not paid for sex during the trips, but Gaetz paid for their flights, lodging and entertainment, Leppard said.

The bipartisan Ethics Commission, which lost jurisdiction over Gaetz when he resigned, has not publicly released a report detailing the investigation, which has been ongoing for several years. Monday the committee confirmed it would meet on Wednesday to discuss the report.

Leppard said he is speaking out on behalf of his clients, who want the commission to release the report to avoid having to testify publicly. The two women are private individuals who have no political affiliations and no motivation to take down Gaetz, Leppard said.

“They don’t have a dog in the fight,” he said. “They want to be left out.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com