A woman says former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL), Trumps first pick for U.S. attorney general, statutorily raped a homeless 17-year-old girl twice at a party when he was 34 and then paid her $400. Her story affirms details from a report released by a House Ethics Committee last December, though the report said the girl hid her age and that Gaetz didnt know she was a minor. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.The womans attorney Laura B. Wolf recently told The New York Timesthat her client met Gaetz during her junior high school year in December 2016. At the time, she lived with her parent in a homeless shelter, worked at McDonalds, and met Gaetzs friend, Joel Greenberg, through a sugar dating website. The woman said Gaetz schtupped her on a pool table or air hockey table during a party at his home, and had sex with her twice while he was on cocaine, then paid her $400 (which helped her purchase braces). Related Megyn Kelly argues maybe Jeffrey Epstein wasnt a pedophile because his child victims were teens The age of consent in Florida is 18. While a 16 or 17-year-old can legally consent to sex with someone between the ages of 16 and 23, Gaetz was 34 at the time of the alleged incident, which would violate the states statutory rape law.Power imbalances can be age, but they can also be financial, Wolf said. My client had little economic security, which allowed for financial leverage over her. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Gaetz denied The New York Times report, stating, I never had sex with this person. This person threatened me with a lawsuit if I didnt pay her $2.3 million dollars. She never sued me because her story is fiction.Last December, a House Ethics Committee concluded that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, regularly paid women for sex, used or possessed illegal drugs, and accepted gifts that exceeded the allowed House limits. Gaetz resigned from Congress days before the report came out, and withdrew as Trumps attorney general nominee after its release, but denied the reports findings, accussing the committee of unfairness. The Justice Department refused to pursue criminal charges against Gaetz. He hasnt been legally charged with any crime related to the report or the womans testimony. The womans name hasnt been publicly reported.Trump has faced his own accusations of sexual misconduct. He had a decades-long friendship with convicted child sex trafficker Jefferey Epsteinand joked about how Epstein was fun and terrific andliked women on the younger side. Trump has also beenfound liable for sexual abuse by a jury, hasadmitted to sexually assaulting womenin the past, and hasadmitted to walking in on underage girlsas they changed clothes. He has been accused of sexual assault or other forms of sexual improprietyby at least 27 women.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.