A conservative Christian legal group and a sex-exploitation watchdog are among many speaking out against President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to serve as attorney general, citing allegations of sexual misconduct .

Trump announced his intention to nominate Gaetz, a staunch ally who represents Florida’s 1st congressional district in the US House of Representatives, to serve as attorney general on Wednesday.

The selection of Gaetz, known for orchestrating the ouster of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California last year, drew flak from many, including conservative and nonpartisan groups.

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The nonpartisan National Center on Sexual Exploitation released a statement On Thursday, he asked the US Senate to reject Gaetz’s nomination unless he is acquitted of charges of sex trafficking of a minor and prostitution.

“We urge the Senate not to confirm former Representative Matt Gaetz as U.S. Attorney General while serious and credible allegations of involvement in child sex trafficking and prostitution remain,” said NCOSE CEO Dawn Hawkins. “As the nation’s top law enforcement officer, he would be responsible for enforcing our nation’s laws prohibiting sex trafficking, child sexual abuse materials, prostitution and obscenity.”

Insisting that “the victims and survivors we serve deserve no less,” Hawkins argued that “the people of this country deserve assurance that their leaders are held to justice without exception.”

She stressed that Gaetz’s “resignation from Congress should not prevent the House Ethics Committee from releasing its report, which is relevant to his potential qualifications to be US attorney general.”

“If the House will not release the report, we are asking the Senate to conduct a full investigation before moving forward,” she added. “His candidacy for this position cannot be fully verified in the absence of a full and transparent investigation.”

said Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group similar reserves about Trump’s nomination of Gaetz.

“The appointment of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is shocking and disappointing to those who have followed this man and the terrible scandals and serious allegations of sex and drug dealing during his tenure in the US Congress,” said the president of Liberty Counsel, Mat Staver, in a statement. .

“Gaetz’s resignation immediately after his name came up for attorney general is inexplicable, except that this resignation now ends the U.S. House ethics investigation,” he said. “Obviously, Gaetz doesn’t want America to know the outcome of the Ethics investigation. Matt Gaetz has neither the experience nor the moral character to serve as the highest law enforcement officer in the United States of America. Gaetz should do President Trump and all of America a favor and withdraw his name from consideration.”

Liberty Counsel raised concerns about the positions Gaetz has taken during his tenure as a federal and state legislator, particularly his work to overturn Florida’s ban on adoption by same-sex couples.

The group expressed disgust that Gaetz told “jokes” it denounced as “laced with sexual innuendo” to an audience of conservative leaders that included conservative Christians.

While Gaetz resigned from the US House this week, in line to become the next attorney general, the next lawmaker to head the Justice Department is contingent on confirmation by the US Senate.

Although Republicans are projected to hold 53 seats in the Senate in the upcoming 119th Congress, several members of Gaetz’s party have spoken out against his nomination, leaving his confirmation in doubt in light of expected unanimous opposition from Senate Democrats. More than half of Senate Republicans said NBC News they don’t believe Gaetz will be confirmed and want to know more about the allegations against him.

The House Ethics Committee drafted the investigation into Gaetz in a statement published in June, explaining that it “initiated a review” in April 2021 “of allegations that Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records. , converted campaign funds to personal use and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity or impermissible gift,” in violation of House rules.

The panel found that “Gaetz has categorically denied all allegations before the committee” and that “The committee has spoken to more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas and reviewed thousands of pages of documents in this matter.”

While the committee determined that the allegations that Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and attempted to obstruct investigations government concerns about his conduct” deserve investigation. , did not reach the same conclusion on the other charges.

The New York Times reported in March 2021 that the DOJ was investigating whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and transported her across state lines to engage in the activity in violation of federal sex trafficking laws.

In February 2023, DOJ he announced that they were not going to press charges against Gaetz due to the fact that they could not make a strong enough case against the congressman.