Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) announced Thursday that he is stepping aside as Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Justice. The move reportedly came shortly after CNN contacted him for comment about another sexual encounter he had with a minor.
According to CNN, the woman told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with Gaetz at a party in 2017 when she was 17-years-old.
The woman testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, included another adult woman.
CNN’s chief legal correspondent Paula Reid said the network “called to say we were going to report that ‘Ethics committee told there was a *second* sexual encounter between Gaetz and 17 year old in 2017.”
Reid said Gaetz’s team “asked us to give them an hour.” The former congressman withdrew himself as a nominee for attorney general 45 minutes later.
Gaetz had been investigated for alleged sex trafficking by the Justice Department and by the House Ethics Committee for alleged sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, inappropriate relationships with underage girls, and other claims.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sex with a minor and was not charged by the Justice Department. Republicans on the House Ethics committee voted Wednesday to block the release of the report following their investigation.
