CNN reveals that Matt Gaetz quit shortly after they confronted him with sordid allegations of sex with minors
Matt Gaetz withdrew as a candidate for President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general less than an hour after CNN confronted him with new allegations, the network revealed.
The former Florida congressman’s stunning exit came as he faced new allegations of a threesome involving a minor.
At the same time, the House Ethics Committee was deadlocked over whether to release a report on his alleged sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
CNN reported Thursday that it confronted Gaetz with new reports that a woman told the committee that as a 17-year-old high school student she had sex with the then-congresswoman twice at one party in 2017.
About 45 minutes after being asked to comment on the story, Gaetz announced he was withdrawing as Trump’s candidate, the network said.
According to their reporting, the second alleged sexual encounter involving the teen also involved Gaetz and an adult woman.
Both encounters were disclosed in a separate civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, according to CNN.
Gaetz has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s nominee for attorney general on Thursday. It came after CNN asked him for comment on new reports that he allegedly had two sexual encounters with a 17-year-old, including a threesome
The adult woman allegedly involved in participating in the encounter with Gaetz and the 17-year-old also denied participation, CNN reported.
The Justice Department had its own investigation into Gaetz involving alleged sex trafficking involving a minor, but closed the probe last year without filing charges.
Just before he withdrew his name, Gaetz had met Wednesday with Republican senators on Capitol Hill, whose support he should have confirmed.
“I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support from so many,” Gaetz wrote in his announcement on X on Thursday.
“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly became a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition,” he continued.
Several senators had privately expressed concerns about whether Gaetz could be confirmed because of the ethics investigation into allegations of drug use, sex parties and sex with a minor.
Some senators had called for the release of the House Ethics Committee report.
House members on the committee met Wednesday to vote on releasing the report, but it was divided along party lines. Instead, they decided to meet again on December 5.
A lawyer for the woman who was a minor at the time of the alleged sexual encounters has called for the report to be made public. He said his client was in high school at the time and there were witnesses.
Matt Gaetz met with senators on Capitol Hill on November 20, a day before he withdrew as Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee
Gaetz had already resigned from the House of Representatives immediately after being picked by Trump as the nation’s top law enforcement official, meaning the committee had no jurisdiction over him throwing the investigation results into limbo.
In his resignation, Gaetz said he did not plan to be sworn in in January after winning reelection in November, but that he may change his mind.
According to CNN, they informed Gaetz at 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday that they had testimony a woman gave to the House Ethics Committee that she had two sexual encounters with Gaetz at one party in 2017.
The woman, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, involved another adult woman.
CNN said they told Gaetz the story would go live at 12:30 PM ET.
He posted on social media at 12:24 a.m. ET that he was withdrawing his nomination.
Donald Trump said he respected Matt Gaetz’s decision to withdraw his nomination
Gaetz called Trump “this is” and told him about his decision to withdraw, a source familiar told DailyMail.com.
Gaetz lasted just eight days as Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department.
Trump said he appreciated Gaetz and expected great things from him.
“I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts in obtaining approval to become Attorney General. He did very well, but at the same time he did not want to be a distraction for the government, for which he has great respect. Matt has a bright future and I look forward to seeing all the great things he will do!” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social.
Trump has “no support” for the attorney general and is going “back to the drawing board,” CNN reported.
He originally nominated Gaetz because he had trouble finding a candidate he liked, the network said.