The House Ethics Committee is expected to release a long-awaited report accusing former Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) of violating House rules and federal and state law, including sexual misconduct and drug use, according to Axios. Gaetz was initially President Trump’s pick for Attorney General before dropping out a few weeks ago. He retired from the House the day before the report’s release, apparently hoping it would be moot if he was no longer a member. A fierce debate has ensued over whether the report can still be released after Gaetz resigned last month.
The Justice Department investigated Gaetz without bringing any charges against him. He repeatedly denied wrongdoing, claiming he was “fully exonerated,” although the Justice Department never publicly exonerated him nor acknowledged that their investigation is closed.
Once it was clear the report would be released, Gaetz admitted to “embarrassing, though not criminal” behavior in the past and criticized the committee’s decision to release it. A federal lawsuit was filed Monday by Gaetz in an attempt to prevent the report’s release, claiming it contained untruthful and defamatory statements. Axios has reached out to Gaetz’s lawyers, PAC, and new employer, One America News Network, for comment.
In a draft of a 42-page report reviewed by Axios, the committee says it found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz “regularly” paid for sex between 2017 and 2020; had sex with a 17-year-old in 2017; and used cocaine and ecstasy on “multiple occasions” between 2017 and 2019.The report also alleges that Gaetz accepted improper gifts, misused official resources and lied to the State Department to help a sexual partner obtain a passport, and obstructed the committee’s investigation.
The findings are based on a review of nearly 14,000 documents and communications with over two dozen witnesses. While a majority of the five Republicans and five Democrats on the panel voted to release the report, several opposed it. The committee initially voted against releasing the report earlier this month but changed course last week and voted to do so. Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) wrote a two-page dissent on behalf of the members who voted against publication, stating that while they do not challenge its findings, its release deviates from the panel’s “well-established standards.”
Gaetz is joining OAN as a talk show anchor after withdrawing as President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general. The report cites witness interviews, text messages, and financial transaction records that suggest Gaetz frequently paid for sex and drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy. Gaetz reportedly sent at least $91,000 to a dozen women between 2017 and 2020, according to bank and payment app records. One woman interviewed by the committee reportedly said, “Matt Gaetz paid me for sex, that was the extent of our interaction.” A 17-year-old Gaetz is accused of having sex with at a party in 2017 told the panel she was “certain” of her sexual encounters with him, according to the report, which also cites witness testimony.
The report states Gaetz “categorically stated” to the committee that the allegations were “false.” When asked by the panel if he had sex with a minor, Gaetz reportedly wrote in a Sept. 26 letter, “The answer to this question is unequivocally NO.” The report details minimal cooperation from both Gaetz and the Justice Department. At one point, Gaetz told the panel he would not comply with its July subpoena, stating that “[u]pon information and belief, the House will not take action to enforce” it, according to the report.
The report also accuses Gaetz of accepting improper gifts in the form of a lodging, food and flights during a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.
One woman from outside Gaetz’s district with whom he had a sexual relationship testified that he connected her with his chief of staff, who helped her obtain an expedited passport, the report says.
The report also alleges Gaetz obstructed the probe — missing deadlines to turn over information and providing “only a couple hundred records, more than 90 percent of which was either irrelevant or publicly available.”
While the report says it “did not obtain substantial evidence” that Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, it alleges he violated state laws prohibiting prostitution and sex with a minor.
It also accuses Gaetz of violating federal laws against obstruction and making false statements to Congress, in addition to numerous alleged violations of House rules and government ethics guidelines.
“Representative Gaetz has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House,” it says.
The irony of Gaetz not facing any legal consequences for any of his actions alleged in the report is striking as Gaetz was a outspoken supporter of Trump’s claims that the justice department had been weaponized against him and other Republicans and their supporters by holding them accountable for their crimes.
We reached out to the Florida’s State Attorney’s Office for an explanation as to why Gaetz wasn’t charged nor any grand jury convened despite credible eyewitnesses and other supporting evidence of his crimes.
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