(CNN) A lawyer for two women who believe they were paid for sex by former Representative Matt Gaetz said on Tuesday that the ladies gave House ethics investigators a number of pictures of their time with the Florida Republican, including one from an alleged trip to New York in 2019.
In addition to joining Gaetz at a Fox News studio while he filmed a TV interview, the women said they were paid by the former congressman for sex during that trip, their lawyer Joel Leppard told CNN’s Erin Burnett on OutFront. According to Leppard, Gaetz also allegedly paid for the women’s travel expenses.
According to their attorney, the women also supplied the House Ethics Committee selfies that Gaetz allegedly texted them. According to Leppard, they also testified that they occasionally emailed Gaetz naked pictures at his request.
Gaetz’s ethics investigation came to an end last week when he resigned from Congress and was just appointed attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. The panel is debating whether to publish a report on its findings after looking into claims of wrongdoing against Gaetz, including sexual impropriety and illegal drug usage.
Leppard said that one of his clients testified that she felt compelled to appease the then-congressman before going to an electronic music concert during the New York tour when the committee asked if they had ever felt under pressure from Gaetz.
Gaetz has been contacted by CNN for comment. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing on numerous occasions.
Leppard’s description of the testimony sheds additional light on the material gathered by the House committee during its investigation, which was carried out alongside a Justice Department criminal investigation. Gaetz has strongly disputed the charges, which also include the allegation that he had sex with a woman who was underage at the time and later testified in both investigations, and has cited the federal prosecutors’ decision to not charge him.
A representative for Matt Gaetz told CNN last week that Merrick Garland’s DOJ cleared him and did not charge him.
Democrats and some Republicans are demanding access to the House panel’s report as the Senate gets ready to formally consider Gaetz for the position of attorney general. The committee postponed its plans to meet to discuss the release of the report after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress following the announcement of Trump’s selection. The next meeting is set for Wednesday. The report’s release has drawn criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has previously stated that he will not interfere with the ethics committee’s operations.
Leppard pointed out that a number of additional witnesses testified before the House inquiry.
Given that my clients were only two of the other witnesses and that there are still highly significant witnesses who have not yet come forward to provide an early look at the findings of the House Ethics Committee, I would assume that the evidence the House has is overwhelming, he added.
According to the attorney, the two ladies were questioned by house investigators regarding documents they had acquired that purportedly showed payments paid to them by Gaetz, most of which were sent electronically. According to Leppard, the documents revealed that the lawmaker paid one of his customers over $6,000 and another over $4,000.
Of the hundreds of documents the House gathered, what I’m telling you is only a small portion of the material that is accessible, Leppard said.
This report was contributed to by Annie Grayer of CNN.
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