A woman who claims she had sex with former Florida congressman—and current attorney general nominee—Matt Gaetz while she was a minor testified about the encounter in front of the House Ethics Committee, ABC News reported Thursday. The network cited sources familiar with the Justice Department investigation into Gaetz, which ultimately resulted in no charges against the Republican firebrand. He has continually denied all charges of impropriety. The news comes just as the committee was scheduled to meet to consider releasing a report on its findings this week. Since Gaetz is no longer in Congress, however, its release is up in the air. The lawyer for the woman who testified, John Clune, has called on the committee to make it public, saying of his client: “She was a high school student and there were witnesses.” Gaetz said following Thursday’s report that the “allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress.” He added: “This false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.” The Justice Department investigation did result in an 11-year prison sentence for a former friend of Gaetz’s, Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of the woman when she was under 18.
