The attorney representing two women who testified in the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into former congressman Matt Gaetz said Friday that one of his clients told the panel that he saw the congressman having sex with a minor.

“My client testified before the House Ethics Committee that he witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor,” said attorney Joel Leppard, whose clients testified behind closed doors before the committee. investigation now abandoned in the Florida Republican.

The committee had investigated 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 sought to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.” . Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including having sex with a minor or paying for sex.

Asked Friday about the testimony, first reported by ABC Newsa spokesman for Gaetz told CNN that “Merrick Garland’s Doge has cleared Matt Gaetz and not charged him.”

The Justice Department separately pursued a years-long sex-crimes investigation into Gaetz, but finally decided last year to stop filing criminal charges against him.

The investigations have gained renewed attention in recent days after President-elect Donald Trump earlier this week announced his intention to nominate Gaetz. to serve as attorney general in his future administration.

If confirmed for the role by the Senate, Gaetz would take over the DOJ, the nation’s top law enforcement agency, and have control over investigative files detailing evidence uncovered by the FBI in its sex-trafficking probe against him.

The Department of Justice deemed the files too sensitive to be forwarded even to the House Ethics Committee.

Gaetz’s resignation from Congress to prepare for the confirmation process effectively ended the congressional investigation, as the committee has jurisdiction over a member only while he is serving in Congress.

Democrats immediately began calling for the committee’s long-awaited findings to be released — a call Leppard echoed on Friday, arguing that “democracy demands transparency.”

Late Thursday, Republicans canceled a meeting scheduled for Friday with committee Democrats to address the report, sources told CNN. And House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday that he does not believe the committee’s findings should be made public and that he will “strongly urge” the committee not to do so.

Gaetz is just one of the provocative choices Trump has made for his cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, a veteran turned Fox News host whose nomination is already facing viability problems from the president-elect’s transition team.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.

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