The cloud of sexual misconduct allegations hanging over Matt Gaetz’s head grows larger every day. ABC News is reporting that the House Ethics Committee has records of Gaetz paying two women over $10,000 between July 2017 and January 2019. The same women later served as witnesses in the House and Justice Department probes against Gaetz. The payments totaled to $10,224.02 over 27 Venmo transactions. The witnesses testified that some of these payments were indeed for sex.
In the “notes” section of Venmo, Gaetz labeled the payments as things like “Cartrages,” “Refreshments,” “Gift,” or “Car deductible,” as well as “travel” and one “extra 4 u.” The payment dates also align with allegations that Gaetz flew the two women to New York City to keep him company while he appeared on Outnumbered, on Fox News. There is also a signed check with Gaetz’s name and address for $750 titled “tuition reimbursement.”
Gaetz, a scandal-ridden Trump loyalist whose attorney general selection shocked Democrats and Republicans alike, actually resigned from the House as soon as his nomination was announced, and just days before the Ethics Committee was set to release its probe—a seemingly obvious ploy to avoid the report. Instead, Trump picking him for attorney general has only made the investigation more prominent. These details of Venmo payments are the latest to emerge about the contents of the as-yet unreleased report. Earlier this week, a lawyer representing a woman who testified before the committee told news outlets that his client personally witnessed Gaetz having sex with an underage girl in 2017.
Gaetz has continuously denied allegations of sexual misconduct, and the president-elect seems to be standing by him. “The Justice Department received access to roughly every financial transaction Matt Gaetz ever undertook and came to the conclusion that he committed no crime,” said Trump spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer in defense of Gaetz. “These leaks are meant to undermine the mandate from the people to reform the Justice Department.”
Gaetz is just one of many Trump Cabinet nominees with deeply troubling sexual misconduct or assault allegations. The House Ethics Committee is expected to convene Wednesday to decide whether to release the report.