Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., allegedly paid several women for sex, including a 17-year-old high school girl, and used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, according to a new report. House Ethics Committee a report.
The 37-page report released Monday morning concluded that Gaetz violated several decisions Florida laws relating to sexual misconduct while in office.
“The committee concluded that there is substantial evidence that Rep. Gaetz violated the House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, rape, illegal drug use, accepting impermissible gifts, providing special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report says.
Gaetz has consistently denied any accusations of wrongdoing, and a previous federal investigation into the allegations ended without charges being brought against him. Earlier Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the report's publication.
Matt Gaetz's report will be released by the House Ethics Committee
Rep. Matt Gaetz at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024, before President Biden's State of the Union address. (Aaron Schwartz/Norphoto via Getty Images)
The committee's report stated that Gaetz “consistently sought to distract, deter, or mislead the committee in order to prevent detection of his actions.”
The report claims that although… Gates denied He paid tens of thousands of dollars to women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use” from 2017 to 2020.
In one of the alleged sexual encounters, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old minor at a party in the summer of 2017, according to the commission's report. The report concluded that the act violated Florida's statutory rape law even though the girl, identified in the report as “Victim A,” said she never told Gaetz her age.
“The committee received testimony that Victim A and actor Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees,” the draft report alleged.
Rep. Matt Gaetz outside the US Capitol on September 29, 2023, in Washington, DC (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The 17-year-old claimed she received $400 in cash from Gaetz, “which she understood to be money for sex,” according to the report. She said she was high at the time of the sexual encounter, while claiming she saw Gaetz using cocaine.
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The committee's report said it had received no evidence indicating that Gaetz knew the girl was a minor when he allegedly had sex with her.
The report also alleges that Gaetz refused to comply with a subpoena demanding an interview and “intentionally withheld information” about a trip to the Bahamas with the women.
Gaetz resigned from Congress last month after President-elect Trump appointed him to be attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew from interest in the position. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, file)
The commission said it obtained text messages that Gaetz allegedly sent to the women, asking them to bring drugs “to their date,” referring to the drugs as “party favors,” “wraps,” or “vitamins.”
In interviews with the commission, witnesses said they observed Gaetz using marijuana, the report said.
The House Ethics Committee's investigation into Gaetz, which includes allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours later than President-elect Trump. Exploit it to be His Attorney General.
Gaetz later quietly but steadily resigned from the position Opposition to the Republican Party.
The House Ethics Committee lost its jurisdiction to continue its investigation into the accusations against Gaetz after his resignation from Congress. While the committee “did not normally publish its findings after it had lost jurisdiction over a matter,” as stated in the report, a majority of the committee members decided that the findings should be published because they were in the public interest.
Gaetz filed a lawsuit on Monday in an attempt to block the release Committee report.
