So, here’s the scoop: Donald Trump picked former Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, but there are some serious allegations swirling around him.
According to an attorney representing two women, Gaetz supposedly covered their travel expenses in 2019 to come to New York. The plan? To catch his appearance on Fox News and then check out the Broadway show Pretty Woman.
In a chat with ABC News’ Juju Chang, Florida lawyer Joel Leppard shared some new insights about his clients’ testimonies before a private bipartisan committee.
He mentioned that they told investigators that Gaetz had funded their trips across state lines for sex on at least two occasions. Plus, they handed over text messages that they reportedly exchanged with Gaetz discussing drugs and payments linked to sexual activities.
Despite all this, Gaetz has firmly denied any wrongdoing. Last year, the Justice Department wrapped up a lengthy investigation into these claims without pressing charges against him.
Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee is considering releasing a report based on their own inquiry into Gaetz after he stepped down from Congress following Trump’s announcement.
Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, defended Gaetz during an interview with us by saying he believes Matt is perfect for the attorney general role and will put an end to what he calls the weaponization of justice.
He dismissed the allegations as unfounded attempts to sabotage Trump’s second term and pointed out that the Biden Justice Department had investigated but ultimately cleared Gaetz.
Leppard detailed how his clients testified about their trip to New York in January 2019 when they met up with Gaetz during his Fox News appearance.
They claimed he paid for their tickets and arranged everything—dinner at Fox Studios followed by seeing Pretty Woman, which has its own interesting storyline about love between different worlds. According to Leppard’s account, it sounds like it was quite an unusual setup!
ABC News has confirmed that Gaetz was in the Fox News studio on January 4, 2019. This was the same day when his attorney mentioned that his clients claimed to have spent time with him, and it just so happened that the show Pretty Woman was playing on Broadway at that time.
Chang posed a question: So their testimony is that Rep. Gaetz crossed state lines with them for sex and paid them for it? Leppard answered affirmatively.
He summarized what his clients shared with the House Ethics Committee, stating that Gaetz supposedly engaged in sexual activities with them—who were adults back then—around 10 to 15 times, mostly during parties fueled by drugs or on private trips to places like New York or the Bahamas, where he often compensated them for sex.
Leppard explained, They testified to the House that they believed those payments were specifically for having a good time and engaging in sexual activities with men present, including Rep. Gaetz.
He noted that the ages of the men at these gatherings ranged from 30 to 50 years old while the women were between 19 and 21.
Both of my clients said they had sexual encounters with Rep. Gaetz and indicated that part of their payment from him was indeed for those favors, Leppard added.
He also mentioned that his clients testified about how Gaetz funded their trips to the Bahamas alongside other young women, including one who accused him of having sex with her when she was still a minor.
Leppard shared, So, it was a trip to the Bahamas with my clients, who included a former minor and a few other women, plus the gentleman who was there.
He pointed out that the young woman involved was already 18 when they took the trip. This vacation to the Bahamas was actually part of a Justice Department investigation into Gaetz, as we had heard from sources before, but in the end, he wasn’t charged with anything.
Leppard mentioned that his clients told Congress that the trip was essentially payment for them. He made it clear that they didn’t get any cash aside from covering their travel and expenses while they were on vacation.
According to Leppard, his clients have been affected by their long-standing relationship with Gaetz and feel strongly that their testimonies from various investigations should be made public.
He mentioned that two of the women told a House panel about how they’ve been in counseling for years—thanks to funding from the FBI—stemming from this whole ordeal.
When asked if they felt like victims of Matt Gaetz, Leppard recounted, one client hesitated and said it was a tough question for her. Then she broke down in tears and revealed she had been going through counseling.
Leppard emphasized that his clients have been receiving FBI-funded counseling services for quite some time now. He also pointed out that they maintain their interactions with Gaetz were entirely consensual; they willingly participated in those parties.
They made it clear everything was consensual—they never felt forced into anything, he stated. However, he added that while drugs sometimes clouded their judgment and there was an expectation to use them at these gatherings, no one pressured them into doing drugs—it just seemed to make things easier at those moments.
He also mentioned one of his clients was still a student back then but chose to attend these parties where they engaged in sexual activities with Gaetz and others primarily to earn enough money for rent.
It was one of those situations where people were literally saying, I’ve got to pay my rent this month. Let’s hit up some events, and then figuring out how to cover the rent.
Leppard mentioned that his clients gave the House Ethics Committee text messages and went over Venmo transactions that they claimed showed Gaetz making payments for sex and coded requests for illegal drugs like marijuana and MDMA.
Gaetz and his former buddy Joel Greenberg referred to these substances in their messages as vitamins or party favors. Leppard explained, “When they talked about party favors, they were obviously referring to MDMA or Molly, which was used at all these gatherings.” He added that Gaetz would ask about it using phrases like “Who’s bringing the party favors?” or “Let’s make sure we have party favors.”
Greenberg is currently serving an 11-year sentence after he struck a deal with prosecutors back in May 2021, pleading guilty to various federal crimes, including sex trafficking a minor and introducing her to other adult men who also engaged with her while she was underage.
According to Leppard, one of his clients told House investigators that taking MDMA or ecstasy was pretty much expected at these parties, although she didn’t actually see Gaetz take ecstasy herself. However, she did testify that he appeared to be under the influence of drugs at times and that she saw him consuming marijuana.
Leppard stated both women were compensated for entertaining guests at these parties. “They came together to party, do drugs, and have sex,” he said.
The payments from Gaetz varied between $200 and $500 but were disguised as ordinary purchases like gas or hotel stays. Sometimes the women would have sex without any payment involved; this happened when Gaetz or Greenberg asked for a “Customer Appreciation Week.”
Leppard noted that both clients confirmed during their testimonies before the House Ethics Committee that those payments were indeed for sexual services.
“The committee was very thorough,” Leppard explained. “They displayed the Venmo transactions on screen and asked what each payment was for.
My clients consistently responded with ‘That was for sex.’” He stressed that both women had been cooperating with investigators throughout both the House inquiry and the Department of Justice investigation over several years and insisted their claims weren’t politically driven in any way.
Now that they’ve been through all this scrutiny once already, they’re not eager to relive it, Leppard remarked. And considering Rep. Gaetz’s position as one of the most powerful law enforcement figures in America right now makes this information especially relevant for everyone.