Donald Trump is personally calling senators to push them to vote to confirm Matt Gaetz as his attorney general.
He’s doubled down on his controversial nominee even as Gaetz is under fire for alleged ‘drug-fueled sex parties.’
‘He clearly wants Matt Gaetz,’ Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who received a call from Trump, told Axios. ‘He believes Matt Gaetz is the one person who will have the fearlessness and ferociousness, really, to do what needs doing at the Department of Justice.’
Gaetz, a pro-MAGA hardliner and Trump loyalist, has called for criminal investigations of Trump critics, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. He’s also said he would ‘abolish’ agencies like the FBI, which he would oversee as attorney general.
‘One thing about Donald Trump, people should never confuse his support for one of his nominees as a tactical or strategic tool for somebody else,’ Cramer said. ‘And at least to this point, he’s putting his own political capital behind it.’
‘And he’s a pretty persuasive guy,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Trump allies are looking at getting Gaetz in as head of the Justice Department even if the Senate won’t confirm him.
They could use the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which would potentially allow Trump to temporarily make Gaetz head of the Department of Justice in an ‘acting’ capacity for an extended period of time.
Gaetz faces an uphill climb to secure the 51 votes needed for Senate approval. There is also concerned the spectacle of confirmation hearings could be a distraction in the first few months of Trump’s second term.
Still, Trump appears undeterred when it comes to getting his long time ally in the Justice Department.
Trump wants Gaetz confirmed ‘100%,’ a source told CNN. ‘He is not going to back off. He’s all in.’
Donald Trump is doubling down on his support of Matt Gaetz (left) as attorney general
His faith in his nominee comes after a new report that Gaetz allegedly partied, used drugs and paid women for sex repeatedly between 2017 and 2019 while serving in the House of Representatives.
The bombshell allegations have been central to a House Ethics Committee investigation into the ex-lawmaker that was abruptly paused last week following Gaetz’s resignation after being nominated by Trump to be attorney general.
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The attorney for two women involved in that same probe into Gaetz’s conduct came forward Monday revealing damning new details about Gaetz.
The Republican attended up to 10 ‘sex parties’ where illegal drugs and ‘group sex situations’ were present, according to Orlando-based attorney Joel Leppard.
Both women represented by Leppard allege that Gaetz paid them for sex via Venmo, the attorney claims.
‘She testified [that] in July of 2017, at this house party, she was walking out to the pool area, and she looked to her right, and she saw Rep. Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17,’ Leppard said Monday.
One of the witnesses alleges that she saw her friends having sex with Gaetz at a party in July 2017 against a game table thought to be an air hockey table.
The unnamed witness also says that her friend was 17-years-old at the time.
Former lawmaker Matt Gaetz used illegal drugs and went to sex parties while a member of the House of Representatives, an attorney for two women, Joel Leppard, claims
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., next to his wife Ginger. She posted this image on social media captioned: ‘Attorney General will look great on you my love’ after Gaetz was nominated by Trump to be AG
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (C) and wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz talk with another guest at the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on November 14, 2024 in Palm Beach.
Gaetz was sworn-in as a member of the House of Representatives in January 2017, so all of the allegations against him come during his tenure as a federal employee.
He claimed he has done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him amount to a ‘false smear.’
Gaetz also said he had never engaged in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18 in a letter posted to his social media in September.
‘The answer to this question is unequivocally NO,’ he wrote. ‘The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress.’
Gaetz has also said that the Ethics Committee’s actions seem to be unfairly targeting him, and he announced he would no longer comply with their investigation.
‘The answer to this question is unequivocally NO,’ he wrote. ‘The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress.’
‘This question about my sexual history reveals a sinister motive of the Committee to harm me and those who have had any association with me,’ he said at the time.
In June, the House Ethics Committee released a statement indicating its investigation was focused on whether Gaetz ‘engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.’
Joel Leppard of Leppard Law is representing two women making allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz
Leppard alleges that a client of his saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old on a hockey table at one of the up to 10 sex parties he is accused of attending
Gaetz has been a staunch Trump ally for years
But Leppard claimed otherwise on Monday, saying that the women he represents, who were also involved in the committee investigation, have Venmo transactions ‘for sex’ that can prove the former lawmaker is not being truthful.
Leppard also revealed that Gaetz texted these women about whether ‘party favors’ and ‘vitamins’ would be available at the parties, which the pair understood to be references to illegal drugs.
When asked about the allegations against Gaetz, Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfieffer told DailyMail.com: ‘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.’
‘These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration,’ he added. ‘The Biden Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing.’