Two women who testified before the House Ethics Committee about former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, President-elect Donald Trump nominee for attorney general, have claimed that Gaetz paid them directly via Venmo for sex, according to their attorney, Joel Leppard. Leppard told CBS News that the committee had obtained these Venmo transactions as part of its investigation. The women also testified that Gaetz had texted them about “party favors” and “vitamins” for upcoming gatherings, which they understood to be code for drugs.

Leppard, an attorney based in Orlando, said the women attended parties from 2017 to January 2019 where Gaetz was present, and where both drug use and sex were alleged to have occurred. In an interview with CBS News’ Major Garrett, Leppard shared that one of his clients testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a party in July 2017. Since Gaetz was sworn into Congress in January 2017, the alleged events took place during his tenure as a member of the House.

Gaetz has consistently denied any wrongdoing, including the accusations involving a minor. In response to CBS News’ report, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer issued a statement defending Gaetz. "Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system," Pfeiffer said, dismissing the allegations as “baseless” and suggesting they were intended to hinder the second Trump administration.

In response to allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer defended former Rep. Matt Gaetz, stating that "The Biden Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing. The only people who went to prison over these allegations were those lying about Matt Gaetz." While federal prosecutors did investigate Gaetz, the probe ended in 2023 without any charges being filed.

As the House Ethics Committee deliberates on whether to release its report on Gaetz, which examines allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use, and bribery, attorney Joel Leppard said his clients want the public to know they are telling the truth. Leppard’s clients testified that they were not politically motivated and had not spoken publicly about the allegations without a legal subpoena. "Regardless of how many times he tries to distract from the truth, the public deserves to know that what we all experienced was real and actually happened," one of Leppard’s clients wrote in a text.

Leppard emphasized that his clients were not involved in politics, did not vote in the last two elections, and simply wanted their voices heard. "My clients are not political; they didn’t vote in the last two elections—they don’t care one way or another,". "But they do want the public to know that they are not lying. They did not come forward willingly."

Leppard added, "And if the American people would know, then they could decide if that's the person they want to be the next attorney general."

One of Leppard’s clients is among at least four women who have testified before the House Ethics Committee that they were paid to attend parties where drugs and sex were present, with Gaetz in attendance. Her testimony aligns with that of the 17-year-old who told the committee that she had sex with Gaetz at a 2017 party. Leppard said his client and others were at the July 2017 gathering to "provide entertainment, to be happy, lively, and provide sexual favors for the gentlemen that were present."

"The expectation was that they would have sexual intercourse," Leppard said his clients testified about these parties. "They testified to the House that — and the House actually had their Venmo transactions, PayPal transactions, of Representative Gaetz." 

Leppard said the House panel asked the women about Gaetz's PayPal and Venmo transactions.

"'What was this for? What was this for,'" Leppard said his clients were asked. 

"'This was for sex,'" he said they responded. "'This was for sex. This was for sex.'"

Leppard said the payments were typically between $200 and $500 at a time. 

Leppard said his client who testified that she saw Gaetz having sex with the 17-year-old also told the panel she did not believe Gaetz was aware of her age at the time. 

"My client, at least, testified that he did not know her age," Leppard said. 

Leppard's client testified that she knew the 17-year-old girl and her age, and said the two attended high school together. 

His client testified that she had sex with Gaetz after arriving at the July 2017 house party. Later during the party, his client testified, she was walking outside when she saw Gaetz having sex with her friend, the 17-year-old, against the gaming table. 

Leppard said one of his clients provided more than 100 texts involving Gaetz to the committee. Frequently, Leppard said, the texts his client provided showed Gaetz would have to be reminded to pay. 

Attorney Joel Leppard, representing two women who testified before the House Ethics Committee, described in detail the content of text messages that his clients shared with the committee regarding former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Leppard said that his clients frequently sent messages to Gaetz requesting payment, such as, "Hey, when are you going to pay me?" or, "I don't want to be that girl, but can you please go ahead and pay me what we agreed upon?" The House panel, however, was particularly interested in messages where Gaetz seemed to be requesting the presence of drugs at parties.

Leppard explained that in his experience as a criminal defense attorney, when people request drugs, they typically use code words rather than directly asking for them. "Representative Gaetz would use terms like, 'Can you make sure that there are party favors present?' or, 'Who's in charge of party favors?'" Leppard continued, adding that Gaetz had referred to someone bringing drugs as a “party favor mecca” and also used the term "vitamins" in relation to drugs.

Despite these coded messages, Leppard noted that his clients could not recall seeing Gaetz personally use marijuana or any other drugs. The text messages also included many positive interactions, such as emojis and friendly exchanges between Gaetz, his clients, and others. Leppard characterized the relationship between Gaetz and his clients as complex, but one based on a sense of friendship. He also mentioned that his clients were familiar with Gaetz's girlfriend at the time.

Leppard added that, according to one of his clients, there was an occasion when they were "required to please Mr. Gaetz" before attending an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) show. This detail, he said, was of particular interest to the House Ethics Committee. The client testified that Gaetz's girlfriend had contacted them about the arrangement, and after fulfilling the request, they went to the show as planned.

Leppard expressed concern for his clients, noting that they have endured significant hardship and are now worried about the potential consequences of testifying publicly, especially before the Senate. "They are concerned that if they testify publicly, they might not be safe in their jobs," he said.