A woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that former congressman Matt Gaetz paid her for sex and that she witnessed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general having sex with a 17-year-old at a party, her lawyer said over the weekend.

Florida attorney Joel Leppard said in an interview with The Washington Post that one of his clients witnessed Gaetz having sex with the minor at a drug-fueled party in July 2017 - and that Gaetz was unaware of her age at the time but subsequently was told she was underage. ABC News first reported the news. This woman and a second woman, also represented by Leppard, testified that they were paid by Gaetz to have sex with him and other individuals who attended these “sex parties.” They were paid through Venmo or other conduits - including the PayPal of Nestor Galban, whom Gaetz has referred to as his “adopted son.” Gaetz never pressured Leppard’s clients to do drugs at these parties, one of his clients testified, but she said that the use of drugs, such as ecstasy, was widespread and expected. When they were asked by House investigators if Gaetz showed signs of being on drugs, the women answered affirmatively, according to the lawyer’s account. Gaetz’s nomination has been met with shock and pushback among a faction of Senate Republicans. Several have raised doubts that he would have the 50 votes needed to be confirmed after what would doubtless be a damaging and scandalous confirmation hearing. Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment but has previously denied the allegations. Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump transition, indicated in a statement that Trump still stood behind his pick. “Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General,” he said, noting that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department ended the investigation into Gaetz without charges. “He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system,” Pfeiffer continued. “These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration.” Leppard called on the Ethics Committee to publicly release its findings, explaining that his clients expressed concern about testifying in front of the Senate in what is expected to be a bitter confirmation battle. “They’ve already been through so much - and each time it happens, it kind of rips apart an old wound,” said Leppard. “They really don’t want to be called in to testify. There’s a lot of facts out there, they’ve given a lot of testimony, provided countless hours and documents to the House, and they don’t want to see it go to waste.” The GOP will have a 53-seat majority next year, and could not lose four or more votes on his nomination, given it’s unlikely any Democrat would vote for Gaetz. More than four Republican Senators have already raised questions about his path forward. Gaetz spent the weekend phoning multiple senators on the judiciary committee, saying he felt he could defend himself in a hearing. Trump and members of his team also made calls to gauge his support, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Sen John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said Gaetz called him and asked if he’d get a “fair shake” at his confirmation hearing. “I said ‘absolutely,’” Kennedy told reporters. “Just come on over to the judiciary committee, answer all the questions and tell everybody what your plans are.” Sen Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said Gaetz called him over the weekend as well. “He wants to have the chance to clear his name at a hearing,” Hawley said. “And I think that’s a great idea.” At least one Republican senator who was previously demanding access to the House ethics report on Gaetz said Monday he believed his accusers could be called as witnesses at the hearing instead. Sen John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Monday he doesn’t believe the ethics report release is “critical” for Gaetz’s confirmation hearing because he believes the committee will call the witnesses to testify. “The truth is, the information is going to come out one way or the other. So I guess the more I thought about it, it’s not critical that they release a report, because we know roughly who the witnesses are” and will call them in front of the Judiciary Committee, he said. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), another judiciary member who has been critical of Gaetz’s chances, told reporters he would defer on speaker Johnson’s decision not to release the ethics report. He said there were other ways for the allegations to be included into the hearing without the report. “You should take a look at the Kavanaugh hearing,” he said, referencing the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Brett M. Kavanaugh, which included testimony from a woman who said he assaulted her while in high school. Kavanaugh denied the allegations. Despite some of the blowback, transition officials on Monday worked to build out the teams that will be helping nominees move through the confirmation process, according to a person familiar with the matter. Leppard’s clients also testified to the House that they submitted sworn statements to the FBI and Justice Department investigators, and appeared before a grand jury as part of the federal investigation into Gaetz. The Senate Judiciary Committee could try to obtain materials from the Justice Department’s investigation into the sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls that resulted in no federal charges against Gaetz. But even when subpoenaed, the Justice Department rarely gives Congress sensitive law enforcement material or criminal investigatory files. The FBI typically conducts background checks ahead of a confirmation hearing for a nominee - and the federal investigation into Gaetz could be accounted for in that check. The House Ethics Committee had previously asked the Justice Department to provide certain information about the Gaetz investigation, and when law enforcement refused, the committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for some materials. However, under Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, any grand jury materials must be kept secret and confidential and cannot be shared. There are some exceptions under the rule related to national security or if the material is used in a judicial proceeding. Douglas Letter, former counsel for the House, sought to obtain special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s grand jury material as part of the House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation of Trump, arguing that the framers discussed impeachment as a judicial proceeding. The effort was originally successful in the courts, but the issue became moot before the Supreme Court ruled. “There’s no impeachment going on here,” said Letter. “It’s just the Senate doing its constitutionally provided job to advise and consent. There’s nothing in there that would be covered as an exemption to Rule 6(e).”

Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.

previous coverage

• Trump team weighs Pentagon pick after sexual assault allegation surfaces