Matt Gaetz should never be US Attorney General

3 minute reading

Lauren Hersh
| Special to the USA TODAY Network

It’s not often that advocacy groups across the political spectrum stand united in a single mission. But that’s exactly what happened in the following days Nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. More than 130 organizations working on issues of human trafficking, sexual violence, domestic violence and gender justice – some with progressive political philosophies, others with conservative religious beliefs – signed an agreement letter in strong opposition to Gaetz’s nomination. We collectively believe that a person facing substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, and payment for sex with a high school student should never be the top police officer in the United States.

As attorneys who have spent years working in a bipartisan manner, we are not motivated by partisan politics. Instead, we are committed to justice and protection for survivors of gender-based violence. We believe Gaetz’s appointment sends a signal to the country and the world that not only will sexual misconduct and sexual exploitation go unchecked, but it will be rewarded. The cliché “wolf guarding the sheep” was created precisely for situations like Gaetz being tapped for attorney general.

Although Gaetz was not criminally charged, his behavior was so egregious that a Republican-led ethics commission determined the allegations were credible and warranted a review. The evidence includes an affidavit from a woman who says in 2017 she saw Gaetz having sex with her then-underage boyfriend.

Two women testified that in the summer of 2017 to 2019, Gaetz paid for sex using Venmo and PayPal. These claims were further supported by text messages and Venmo recordings in which Gaetz and accomplice Joel Greenberg (who is now in prison) referred to illicit drugs and payment for sex as “vitamins” and “party favors” . Members of Congress said Gaetz would walk the House floor showing videos of naked young women and bragging about his conquests.

What defines Matt Gaetz’s conduct?

Gaetz’s conduct is classic. Like many exploiters, Gaetz used drugs and vulnerability as tools of coercion. The victims’ lawyer, Joel Leppard, explained that his clients testified that “drugs have sometimes impaired their judgment and that they expect to use drugs.”

He further explained that “it was kind of a situation where they’re literally like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to make rent this month… Here’s how we’re going to pay the rent.’

When asked if she was a “victim,” the woman Gaetz paid for sex when she was 17 broke down in tears and said, “That’s a very complicated question.”

Complicated or not, he was a congressman and she a 17-year-old still figuring out the world and how to navigate it. The staggering imbalance of power was used as a weapon.

Gaetz’s pattern of suppressing the truth and controlling the narrative is nothing new. Abusers often use their power to intimidate, manipulate and silence. Gaetz relied on his strong stance to muzzle his victims. Last week, just days before the House Ethics Committee was due to release its report, Gaetz tried again to tamper with the process, resigning his congressional seat in an attempt to prevent the report from being released.

Gaetz has repeatedly exercised his power to prey on the vulnerable and manipulate a system meant to serve as a handrail. His nomination — or even a serious confirmation hearing — would send the message that America no longer stands for justice or the rule of law.

The Department of Justice should never be led by someone whose character, qualifications, and strained relationship with the rule of law are antithetical to the Department’s mission. Gaetz’s conduct should be disclosed by an Ethics Committee report. Senators should reject his nomination, sending a warning that sexual misconduct and exploitation are disqualifiers for the nation’s highest law enforcement office.

Lauren Hersh is a former sex-trafficking prosecutor in New York who is the national director of the The world without exploitation, a national anti-trafficking organization.