The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by ABC News.
The Venmo records show that between July 2017 and late January 2019, Gaetz — who was first elected in 2016 — allegedly made 27 Venmo payments totaling $10,224.02 to the two witnesses, who were over the age of 18 at the time.
The payments, which sources said were displayed during closed-door testimony, ranged from $100 to more than $700 each.
ABC News previously reported that House investigators had subpoenaed Venmo for Gaetz’s records and had been showing them to witnesses, asking if they were for sex or drugs. The Venmo records totaling over $10,000 in payments were shown to the witnesses, who testified that some of the payments were from Gaetz and were for sex, a source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
Gaetz, who was tapped last Wednesday by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as attorney general in the incoming administration, resigned from the House immediately following Trump’s announcement, just days before the House Ethics Committee was to set to consider releasing a report on its investigation into the Florida congressman, according to sources.
The Justice Department spent years probing sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, as well as allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges. Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing related to the allegations investigated during the congressional and Justice Department probes.
“The Justice Department received access to roughly every financial transaction Matt Gaetz ever undertook and came to the conclusion that he committed no crime,” Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer said in response to ABC News’ reporting. “These leaks are meant to undermine the mandate from the people to reform the Justice Department.”
“These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration,” Pfeiffer said this week of the allegations involving Gaetz, which the Justice Department began investigating during the first Trump administration.
Descriptions in the “Notes” section for some of the alleged Venmo payments from Gaetz included labels such as “Gift,” “Car deductible,” “Cartrages,” and “Refreshments.” Other entries referenced “travel,” and one listed a payment for a flight and the phrase “extra 4 u.”
That alleged flight payment appears to align with a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas, which ABC News previously reported was part of the Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz.
In other payments, emojis like a wrapped gift or the hug emoji are used, the records show.
The payment records also show that in early January 2019, both witnesses received mirroring payments labeled for “travel” around the time Gaetz allegedly arranged for two women to fly to New York for sex and to accompany him to an appearance on the Fox News show “Outnumbered,” as ABC News previously reported.
The Ethics Committee also obtained a signed check made out to cash and dated October 2018, allegedly from Gaetz for $750, with the memo reading “tuition reimbursement.” A witness testified to the committee that Gaetz gave her the check, according to a source familiar with the matter. Gaetz’s name is printed at the top left of the check along with an address.
Gaetz previously dismissed allegations that he paid for sex, saying that “someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.”
The House Ethics Committee is expected to meet on Wednesday and discuss whether to vote to release its report on Gaetz, despite the fact that its investigation ended when Gaetz resigned from the House, multiple sources told ABC News.
Source: abcNEWS
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