Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke out in defense of former Rep. Matt Gaetz on Wednesday after meeting with him about his attorney general nomination, but he stopped short of saying whether he will vote to confirm Gaetz.

Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, emerged from the meeting with Gaetz and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and said he told them “no rubber stamps and no lynch mob.”

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“[Gaetz] will be held to account in the confirmation process,” Graham told reporters. “He deserves a chance to make his argument why he should be attorney general.”

Graham’s remarks came in response to a barrage of media reports about allegations that Gaetz, 42, participated in sex trafficking and had sexual relations with a 17-year-old when he was a freshman in Congress. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.

Graham characterized the negative reports as an unfair attack on Gaetz and said, “These allegations will be dealt with in committee,” a reference to the incoming Republican-controlled Senate’s process of vetting and confirming presidential nominations.

President-elect Donald Trump, who is pursuing a vendetta against top Department of Justice officials, nominated Gaetz to lead the department as attorney general. The move came as a shock to many on the Hill, where Gaetz is known as a controversial firebrand with no prosecutorial experience.

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The move also shined a spotlight on DOJ and House Ethics Committee investigations into Gaetz.

The DOJ last year decided not to move forward with pressing charges against Gaetz. While it is unclear what led to the DOJ’s decision not to bring the case — there are a multitude of reasons, such as witness credibility concerns, that would lead the DOJ to decline to prosecute a target of an investigation — Gaetz has claimed the DOJ’s decision exonerated him.

Meanwhile, the near-complete House Ethics Committee investigation automatically ended last week because Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress when Trump announced his nomination. Gaetz said he resigned to allow time to fill his congressional seat while he awaits the Senate confirmation process.

Still, details have been spilling out into the media of the Ethics Committee’s findings, including that a witness told the committee she once saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old and that Gaetz has paid at least two women for sex.

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Graham released a statement after his meeting with Gaetz, saying he planned to continue his record of supporting the presidential Cabinet choices “unless the evidence suggests disqualification.”

“I fear the process surrounding the Gaetz nomination is turning into an angry mob, and unverified allegations are being treated as if they are true. I have seen this movie before,” Graham said. “I would urge all of my Senate colleagues, particularly Republicans, not to join the lynch mob and give the process a chance to move forward.”

Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.