EXCLUSIVE: Ethics committee told of second sexual encounter between Matt Gaetz and 17-year-old at party, sources say

By Paula Reid and Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony tell CNN.

The woman, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, included another adult woman. She also testified to both sexual encounters in a civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, sources said.

After being asked for comment for this story, Gaetz announced he was backing out as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sex with a minor and was not charged after the Justice Department investigated these alleged encounters.

Gaetz and Trump were working to lock down support on Capitol Hill for the former Florida congressman to become the next attorney general. Members of the Republican-led House Ethics panel voted along party lines on Wednesday not to release the results of their investigation and instead decided to meet again on December 5 to vote on the final report.

The other woman who was an adult at the time has denied participating in the alleged second encounter, according to multiple sources familiar with her ethics testimony.

The Justice Department closed its investigation of Gaetz last year after prosecutors recommended that no criminal charges be brought against him. The House Ethics Committee revived its investigation of the Florida lawmaker once DOJ concluded its case and is facing mounting pressure to release its final report.

Allegations against Gaetz also have surfaced as part of a civil dispute in federal court in Florida. The deposition from the woman who was 17 at the time remains under seal, but her allegations were described during another deposition that is public record. At one point, attorneys recounted that she had testified having sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table at the house party while the homeowner watched.

An attorney for the woman who was a minor at the time of the sexual encounters has called for the ethics report to be released “immediately,” noting that his client was a high school student at the time and saying there were witnesses.

Joel Leppard, an attorney who represents two other women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee probe, said one of his clients testified that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a minor. Leppard said his client told the committee she did not believe Gaetz knew at the time that her friend was underage.

Both of Leppard’s clients sat for closed-door testimony before the committee. He has said that both them testified that Gaetz paid them for “sexual favors.”

Leppard also called on the House Ethics Committee to release the report on Gaetz, emphasizing the importance of transparency. “Democracy demands transparency. Release the Gaetz Ethics report,” Leppard said.

CNN’s Casey Gannon contributed to this report.

This report has been updated with additional developments.

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