Thursday, November 21, 2024

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1/ Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general following scrutiny over allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl and drug use that threatened his confirmation. The minor who said she had sex with Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, and it included another adult woman. Two other women testified to the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, with one witnessing him having sex with the 17-year-old at a drug-fueled party in 2017. Gaetz paid the two women over $10,000 through PayPal and Venmo. Some payments were for sex. “It is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz said. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General.” Michael Guest, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said Gaetz’s decision to withdraw from consideration for attorney general ends “the discussion of whether or not the Ethics Committee should continue to move forward” on deliberations about releasing the report on its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz. “He has withdrawn his nomination, he is no longer a member of Congress, so I think that this settles any involvement,” Guest said. Trump, meanwhile, praised Gaetz’s decision, saying the decision has his “respect” and that “Matt has a wonderful future.” (Axios / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Bloomberg / Associated Press)

Federal investigation links Matt Gaetz to payments for sex, but no charges filed. Federal investigators tracked payments made by Gaetz and associates, revealing connections to drug-fueled parties and women allegedly hired for sex, including one who was 17 at the time. While no charges were filed, a House Ethics Committee obtained documents showing Venmo and PayPal transactions between Gaetz and others, corroborating testimony from women who claimed to have been paid. Despite Gaetz’s denial of wrongdoing, the case raises questions as he faces confirmation challenges as Trump’s attorney general pick.(New York Times)

Who’s in Trump’s new administration so far:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

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