The battle is fierce concerning Matt Gaetz’s pursuit of the attorney general position—with Donald Trump intervening directly with senators, a legal representative claiming Gaetz compensated his clients for sexual acts, and a House Speaker attempting to mitigate the chaos.
The president-elect is said to be making personal calls to senators, urging them to back his contentious nomination, even as a yet-to-be-released ethics report looms that may reveal claims of illicit drug use, sexual relations with minors, and human trafficking.
“He clearly favors Matt Gaetz,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) remarked to Axios on Monday following a discussion with Trump. “He considers Gaetz to be the individual who possesses the bravery and intensity necessary to tackle the challenges at the Department of Justice.”
A troubling unpublished report from the House Ethics Committee, which House Speaker Mike Johnson has been attempting to suppress, may feature testimonies from two women who informed the committee that Gaetz compensated them via Venmo for sexual encounters, according to a lawyer representing the women, who are both adults, as stated to ABC News.
The attorney, Joel Leppard, also mentioned that one of his clients observed Gaetz engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old at a house party in Florida.
“She testified that in July of 2017, at this gathering, she was heading out to the pool area when she turned to her right and saw Rep. Gaetz involved in sexual acts with her friend, who was 17,” Leppard recounted, as reported by ABC.
Gaetz has consistently denied any illegal actions.
Trump’s lobbying effort to secure confirmation for his selected individual to oversee the Department of Justice coincides with the upcoming House Ethics Committee meeting on Wednesday—potentially addressing the decision to unveil the report despite Johnson’s opposition.
The chair of the committee, Rep. Michael Guest, asserted on Monday that the committee will not bow to the speaker’s influence, who spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago and subsequently traveled on Trump’s aircraft, accompanied by Elon Musk, to a UFC event at Madison Square Garden.
A number of Senate Republicans are insisting on reviewing the complete House ethics report to evaluate the evidence against Gaetz and thoroughly assess his nomination. This group includes Sens. John Cornyn from Texas, Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma, Susan Collins from Maine, and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who will be stepping down as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Republicans assume authority in January, stated in a floor address on Monday that Gaetz represents the “least qualified and most extreme individual ever nominated for Attorney General.”
“His time in Congress has largely been marked by extreme remarks. For instance, former Congressman Gaetz has frequently advocated for dismantling the Justice Department that he is now set to lead,” Durbin expressed. “He also aims to eliminate key components of the Justice Department, notably the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, ‘if they do not comply.’”
