After learning of it, he said, Gaetz “stopped their sexual relationship” and “did not resume it until after she turned 18” in December 2017.
According to Leppard, his client took part in a taped call with Gaetz in 2020 as part of a Justice Department inquiry, which was requested and watched by the FBI.
However, prosecutors decided not to press charges. Both the FBI and the Justice Department chose not to comment.
The 42-year-old Gaetz has long refuted the accusations, saying he was the victim of an extortion scheme.
Gaetz’s representatives referred NBC News to a statement from Trump’s transition team but did to respond to specific questions on Leppard’s claims.
Gaetz, a former Republican U.S. Representative from Florida, resigned from Congress last week following Trump’s announcement that he would be nominated to lead the Justice Department as attorney general.
