Gaetz meets with GOP senators about attorney general role

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz met Wednesday with several Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, some of whom said Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general should be given the opportunity at a confirmation hearing to address misconduct allegations.

The Florida Republican and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, had the meetings on Capitol Hill the same day the House Ethics Committee announced it would not release information about its probe into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.

A nomination would go through the Judiciary Committee, and questions about the allegations, including an accusation that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, have become the focal point so far about whether he could win confirmation to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, in a statement after his meeting urged his fellow senators to give Gaetz the opportunity to make his case for confirmation.

“I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true. I have seen this movie before,” Graham said.

Graham noted that a Justice Department investigation did not lead to charges against Gaetz. “I would urge all of my Senate colleagues, particularly Republicans, not to join the lynch mob and give the process a chance to move forward,” Graham said.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said the allegations underscore the importance of scheduling confirmation hearings, perhaps quickly after Trump takes office, so Gaetz can address any concerns.

Lee, after his meeting with Gaetz, said the former House member spent “a number of minutes talking about the unfairness and the lack of truth of the allegations being pursued by the committee.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who met with Trump’s pick on Wednesday, said a hearing would allow Gaetz to talk about the Justice Department as well as address allegations. In that forum, members of the committee could ask whatever they want, Hawley said.

Hawley noted that Gaetz has denied allegations of sexual activity with a 17-year-old. “This is why we’ll have a hearing, I hope, in which I’m sure he’ll be asked that under oath, so (he’ll) have the chance to respond fully,” Hawley said.

Hawley reported that Gaetz said “the Department of Justice should be a nonpartisan agency that is enforcing the law and prosecuting criminals.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in an interview on Fox News that during her meeting Gaetz said he wants to be able to have a hearing.

“He says he will answer any question that anyone asks him,” Blackburn said. “We have to keep in mind, President Trump has a mandate from the American people, and he has pushed forward with nominees for these positions that will help him to carry out that mandate. I’m going to support each of these nominees.”

Blackburn said she also asked Gaetz about what he would do if he were to be confirmed as the attorney general “and he was very specific.”

“Dealing with the weaponization of the DOJ is at the top of the list. Dealing with the illegal immigration and the border security issues. Dealing with fentanyl. All of these are items on his to-do list,” Blackburn said.

Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chair Richard J. Durbin and other Senate Democrats sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday, requesting the “complete evidentiary file” in the closed investigation of Gaetz.

“In order for the Senate to perform its constitutional duty in this instance, we must be able to thoroughly review all relevant materials that speak to the credibility of these serious allegations against Mr. Gaetz,” the letter read.

In interviews with multiple news outlets, attorney Joel Leppard said a client of his, who interviewed with the House Ethics Committee, testified that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a July 2017 party.