Gaetz sent over $10,000 in Venmo payments to 2 women who testified in House probe, records show

The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who later became witnesses in sexual misconduct investigations by both the House and Justice Departments, according to documents obtained by ABC News.

Venmo records show that between July 2017 and late January 2019, Gaetz — who was first elected in 2016 — allegedly made 27 Venmo payments totaling $10,224.02 to the two witnesses, who were over the age of 18 on that time.

The payments, which sources said were shown during closed-door testimony, ranged from $100 to more than $700 each.

ABC News previously reported that House investigators had subpoenaed Venmo for Gaetz’s records and had shown them to witnesses, asking if they were for sex or drugs. The Venmo records totaling more than $10,000 in payments were shown to the witnesses, who testified that some of the payments were from Gaetz and were for sex, a source familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

Gaetz, who last Wednesday was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as attorney general in the incoming administration, resigned from the House immediately after Trump’s announcement, just days before the House Ethics Committee was to consider releasing a report on its investigation. into the Florida congressman, according to sources.

The Justice Department spent years investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz, as well as allegations of obstruction of justice, before last year informing Gaetz that it would not press charges. Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing in connection with the allegations probed by congressional and Justice Department investigations.

“The Justice Department obtained access to virtually every financial transaction that Matt Gaetz ever made and came to the conclusion that he committed no crime,” Trump’s transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said in response to ABC News’ reporting. “These leaks are designed to undermine the mandate from the people to reform the Department of Justice.”

“These are baseless allegations designed to derail the second Trump administration,” Pfeiffer said this week of the allegations against Gaetz, which the Justice Department began investigating during the first Trump administration.

Descriptions in the “Notes” section of some of the alleged Venmo payments from Gaetz included labels such as “Gift,” “Car Deductible,” “Cartrages” and “Refreshments.” Other entries referred to “travel,” and one listed a payment for a flight and the phrase “extra 4 u.”

The alleged flight payment appears to be consistent with a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas that ABC News previously reported was part of the Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz.

Other payments use emojis like a wrapped gift or the hug emoji, the records show.

The payment records also show that in early January 2019, both witnesses received mirror payments labeled “travel” around the time Gaetz allegedly arranged for two women to fly to New York for sex and accompany him to an appearance on Fox News show ” Outnumbered ,” as ABC News previously reported.

The ethics committee also received a signed check made out in cash and dated October 2018, allegedly from Gaetz for $750, with the note “reimbursement of tuition.” A witness testified to the committee that Gaetz gave her the check, according to a source familiar with the matter. Gaetz’s name is printed at the top left of the check along with an address.

Gaetz previously denied allegations that he paid for sex, saying that “someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more unreasonable.”

The House Ethics Committee is expected to meet on Wednesday and discuss whether to vote to release its report on Gaetz, despite its investigation ending when Gaetz resigned from the House, multiple sources told ABC News.