New details regarding Matt Gaetz's sexual misconduct probe revealed that the attorney general-nominee had not one but two sexual encounters with a 17-year-old, one of which was reportedly a threesome, just minutes before Gaetz announced he was withdrawing from consideration.
The woman at the center of the allegations reportedly testified that she had a second sexual encounter with Gaetz and an adult woman, sources told CNN.
Gaetz said that he was quitting the race after CNN reached out for comment in regards to the development.
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. 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," Gaetz wrote in a statement to X.
The former Florida representative did not mention CNN's article or the ethics report in his announcement.
Following Gaetz's statement, CNN took credit for his decision to pull out of consideration.
.@PaulaReidCNN says Matt Gaetz withdrew from the AG nomination after CNN told Gaetz's office that they were going to report on testimony heard by the Ethics Committee of a second sexual encounter between Gaetz and a 17-year-old in 2017. pic.twitter.com/6n2vB3o7gc
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) November 21, 2024
"At 11:30 [a.m.] today we reached out to the then-attorney general-nominee's team explaining our reporting, giving them the opportunity to weigh in," CNN legal correspondent Paula Reid said on the outlet.
"They asked us to give them an hour. We did, we said we would go at 12:30 [p.m.], and about a moment before I was supposed to come on air to share the new reporting from myself and our colleague Sarah Ferris, we didn't get a statement from Gaetz, instead we got the statement saying he was withdrawing at the attorney general pick," Reid continued.
In the instance of the alleged threesome, the adult woman reportedly involved denied any participation, sources told CNN.
Following Gaetz's announcement, President-elect Donald Trump posted to Truth Social reiterating Gaetz's claim that he "did not want to be a distraction."
"I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!" Trump wrote in the post.
Gaetz was being investigated by the House Ethics Committee after a woman, now in her 20s, testified that she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, ABC News previously reported.
Calls for the report to be released increased after Trump nominated Gaetz as attorney general, however the release of the report was blocked by the committee's Republicans.
The Department of Justice previously investigated the allegations against Gaetz, but did not file any charges. Gaetz has continually denied all allegations.
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