Washington – Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz met with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he seeks to drum up support for his nomination for attorney general amid calls from the House Ethics Committee. issue a report Over allegations that he was involved in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Along with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, a senator from Ohio, Gaetz sat with Republican senators whose votes will be crucial in confirming him to the post of the nation's top law enforcement official next year. The GOP is set to take control of the Senate in the next Congress and hold 53 seats, but Gaetz will need support from the House majority to win confirmation.
newly elected president donald trump announced Gaetz was elected attorney general last week, prompting the Florida Republican to resign his seat in Congress. But the selection and Gaetz's resignation came two days before the House Ethics Committee ready to meet And vote on whether to make public its report detailing the findings of its long-running investigation into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Republicans have denied wrongdoing and called the ethics investigation a “blame.” He has blamed the investigation on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Gaetz helped put out Last year. Alex Pfeiffer, Trump's transition spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that “Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General. He is the right person for the position and will end the weaponization of our justice system. These are baseless allegations aimed at To derail.” The second Trump administration.”
Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he was not reconsidering his selection for attorney general.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune met with Gaetz on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Thune confirmed to CBS News.
The spokesperson said the two met “to discuss the Senate confirmation process, and they reiterated that Mr. Gaetz deserves a fair and transparent process, which all of President Trump's nominees are entitled to.”
The news of the meeting was first given by Punchbol.
Gaetz and Vance also met with Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, John Kennedy of Louisiana, and John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas. All seven sit on the Judiciary Committee, which will hold Gaetz's confirmation hearings early next year. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst also met with Gaetz and Vance on Wednesday.
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Hawley told CBS News that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the need for a confirmation hearing and to ensure that Gaetz “has the opportunity to respond publicly under oath.” Hawley outlined that he thinks Gaetz has spoken to every member of the Judiciary Committee and several other senators who do not sit on the committee. He said he expected Gaetz to meet with all 53 Republicans in the coming weeks.
“President Trump is very committed to moving this forward. And I know there's some speculation among my colleagues that maybe this won't actually go to a confirmation hearing, but they want a hearing, and I think they're going to Totally deserve it,” she said. “Gaetz wants the opportunity to testify, respond to critics, answer questions, talk about his vision for the department.”
Hawley is likely to vote for all of Trump's nominees, he said, and he believes there will be “no shortage of information” about Gaetz for senators.
At least one Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, said she has not yet been asked to meet with Gaetz. Collins is among the conference's most liberal members, and her vote could be crucial to Gaetz's confirmation. She previously said she was “surprised” by his selection.
After his meeting with Gaetz, Graham said that while he would defer to presidential Cabinet choices until evidence suggests unfitness, Trump's selection process “will not be rubber-stamped, nor will it be mobbed.” Will operate.”
“I fear that the process around the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true. I've seen this movie before,” he said, referring to the Supreme Court justices. An apparent reference to Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation process in 2018. “I would urge all of my Senate colleagues, especially Republicans, not to join the lynch mob and give the process a chance to move forward.”
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Gaetz, Lee said Kavanaugh's Senate confirmation hearing should be a “warning” amid the allegations against the Florida Republican.
“A number of allegations were made against Brett Kavanaugh that in many cases proved to be unfounded,” Lee said. “And so I think people should be warned. Just because the allegations are made, and just because people talk a lot about them – and sometimes there's a politically motivated eagerness to embrace them.” Because, assuming them to be true – does not mean that they are actually true.”
Kavanaugh was accused of engaging in sexual misconduct decades ago and has vehemently denied the allegations. Judiciary Committee organized a set of extraordinary hearings It included testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who claimed he attacked her during a party when they were in high school in the 1980s. However, classmates present at the party could not confirm Ford's allegations. Kavanaugh was confirmed by the senate In a 50–48 vote, the narrowest margin in more than a century.
Gaetz has been under investigation for several years by the House Ethics Committee and the Justice Department, which looks into allegations of sex trafficking and obstruction. Prosecutors refused to charge Gaetz last year.
Ten of the 11 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked FBI Director Chris Wray to turn over the entire evidence file in the now-closed federal sex trafficking investigation involving Gaetz.
“The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees, and it is important that we review all the information necessary to carry out this duty as we consider Mr. Gaetz's nomination,” the Democratic senators wrote in a letter. Are considering.” Letter To Ray. “The serious public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his suitability to serve as the federal government's chief law enforcement officer.”
ethics Committee said in june It spoke to more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas and reviewed thousands of pages of documents as part of its investigation. It said in a rare statement that “certain allegations” required continued review, including sexual misconduct and drug use, accepting inappropriate gifts, giving “special privileges and benefits” and obstructing government investigations into his conduct. .
Multiple sources told CBS News at the time that four women testified before the ethics panel that they were paid to go to parties Gaetz attended that involved sex and drugs. Lawyers for the two women who spoke to the panel told CBS News on Monday She testified that Gaetz paid her directly and repeatedly for sex, and said that Venmo transactions for the encounters were obtained by the panel.
The lawyer, Joel LePard, also said the women told House investigators that Gaetz asked about “party favors” and “vitamins” at upcoming parties via text messages, which was interpreted as code for drugs. One of Leopard's customers testified before the ethics committee They witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl in front of a game table during a party in July 2017, months after he was sworn in as a House member.
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