Quick version
- Donald Trump has nominated Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General, but his nomination is at risk of being blocked by the Senate.
- Gaetz is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old, and several senators
are demanding to see an investigation into the allegations.
- It is very rare for a person appointed by the President to be stopped by
the Senate. The last time that happened was 35 years ago.
Matt Gaetz. Photo: Nora SavosnickDonald Trump has chosen Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General.
But the Florida politician risks becoming the first minister since 1989 not to be approved by the Senate.
Now there is a battle to release an investigation in which Gaetz is accused of having sex with a minor.
Donald Trump won the
presidential election in United States and has begun appointing his cabinet. Several
names are controversial. And
Matt Gaetz, 42, whom Trump wants to see as attorney general, could be stopped from the post by the US Senate.
Democratic senators and at least one Republican are demanding to see a House Ethics Committee investigation into Matt Gaetz.
A source close to the investigation
tells ABC News that a woman told the committee that Matt Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17. Another woman has testified to having seen Gaetz have sex with the 17-year-old, says th woman's lawyer according to several American media. It is said to have occurred in Florida, where the legal limit for sexual intercourse is 18 years.
Lawyer: The appointment is "perverse"
The 17-year-old is now in her 20s and her identity is not known. Her lawyer John Clune reacted to the appointment of Gaetz at X. He calls the appointment "perverse" and writes that his client was in high school and that there are witnesses.
The ethics committee has also investigated allegations that Gaetz used drugs. Gaetz resigned from his seat in the House of Representatives on Friday.
On the same day, the ethics committee was supposed to have a meeting where they would decide whether to make the investigation public, but it was cancelled. Chairman Michael Guest
tells Politico that the meeting has not been canceled, just postponed.
If the Senate gets to see the report, it could be decisive in not approving Trump's appointment as attorney general.
Photo: APNo one has been denied by the Senate in 35 years
It is very rare for a presidential appointee not to be approved. It has not happened since 1989 when George H W Bush appointed John Tower as Secretary of Defense. When he was to be screened by the FBI, alcohol abuse and sex crimes were investigated.
The Department of Justice, i.e. the department of which Gaetz can become the highest director, has also investigated suspicions of sex-trafficking, but without this leading to prosecution. That investigation can also be shown to the Senate before the appointment.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied all allegations.
Donald Trump. Photo: AP
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