Matt Gaetz ethics report says his drug use and intercourse with a minor violated state legal guidelines

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican who briefly stood to turn out to be President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be lawyer common, was discovered by congressional ethics investigators to have paid quite a few girls — together with a 17-year-old woman — for intercourse, and to have bought and used unlawful medication, together with from his Capitol Hill workplace. 

These are among the many findings of the long-running investigation by the Home Ethics Committee into Gaetz, which concluded the previous Florida congressman violated a number of state legal guidelines associated to sexual misconduct whereas in workplace. The full report was launched by the committee Monday. 

“The Committee decided there may be substantial proof that Consultant Gaetz violated Home Guidelines and different requirements of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible items, particular favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the 37-page report concludes. 

On Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit in federal court docket searching for to dam the discharge of the report, saying that he’s now a personal citizen and never topic to the jurisdiction of the committee. The committee launched it a short while later. 

Gaetz resigned from Congress in November after Trump introduced plans to appoint him for lawyer common. However dealing with opposition from some fellow Republicans, Gaetz withdrew from consideration per week later. The discharge of the ethics report brings to an in depth — not less than for now — Gaetz’s incendiary tenure on Capitol Hill, the place he turned one of the vital vocal and provocative members of the pro-Trump faction in Congress. 

Gaetz has denied any improper conduct and asserted the claims had been a “smear” invented by his political enemies. The committee mentioned the congressman refused to sit down for sworn testimony, although he did submit written solutions to among the committee’s questions. 

The report offers contemporary voice to allegations of misconduct which have circulated round Gaetz for years, regardless of his agency denials. It attracts on testimony from witnesses who instructed the committee they had been paid to have intercourse with Gaetz, textual content messages discussing the transactions, and Venmo and PayPal receipts. 

Among the many report’s most lurid findings had been the allegations of sex- and drug-fueled events and journey, together with a 2018 journey to the Bahamas the place witnesses say he took ecstasy and had intercourse with 4 girls. 

“From 2017 to 2020, Consultant Gaetz made tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in funds to girls that the Committee decided had been possible in reference to sexual exercise and/or drug use,” famous the report, which lists funds totaling greater than $90,000 to 12 completely different girls.

The committee mentioned it additionally acquired testimony that at a 2017 celebration, Gaetz twice had intercourse with “Sufferer A,” who was 17 years previous on the time and had simply accomplished her junior yr in highschool.

“Sufferer A recalled receiving $400 in money from Consultant Gaetz that night, which she understood to be fee for intercourse,” the committee wrote. “Sufferer A mentioned that she didn’t inform Consultant Gaetz that she was below 18 on the time, nor did he ask her age.”

In his written responses to the committee, Gaetz denied having intercourse with a minor. The Division of Justice beforehand investigated Gaetz for violating intercourse trafficking legal guidelines however didn’t carry costs. The committee mentioned it didn’t discover adequate proof Gaetz violated the federal intercourse trafficking statute as a result of though he transported girls throughout state traces for the aim of intercourse, these girls had been all 18 or older on the time.

The report famous that whereas all the ladies who testified mentioned the sexual encounters with Gaetz had been consensual, one lady instructed the committee using medication on the events and occasions they attended could have “impair[ed their] potential to actually know what was occurring or absolutely consent.”

One other lady instructed the committee, “After I look again on sure moments, I really feel violated.”

The report additionally discovered “substantial proof” Gaetz engaged in rampant illicit drug use. The committee mentioned it obtained textual content messages he despatched the place he referred to medication as “celebration favors,” “rolls” or “nutritional vitamins.” It additionally mentioned he created a faux e-mail from his Capitol Hill workplace “for the aim of buying marijuana.” The report famous that Gaetz had denied utilizing illicit medication in his written solutions to the committee. 

In a press release posted on X final week,  Gaetz mentioned: “In my single days, I usually despatched funds to girls I dated – even some I by no means dated however who requested. I dated a number of of those girls for years. It is embarrassing, although not legal, that I most likely partied, womanized, drank and smoked greater than I ought to have earlier in life. I stay a unique life now.”

Along with sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, the report additionally accused Gaetz of accepting items of luxurious journey in extra of permissible limits with the 2018 journey to the Bahamas. And it mentioned he organized for his chief of employees to help a lady with whom he had engaged in sexual exercise in acquiring a passport, falsely indicating to the State Division that she was certainly one of his constituents.

In his lawsuit Monday, Gaetz argued: “The Committee’s obvious intention to launch its report after explicitly acknowledging it lacks jurisdiction over former members, its failure to comply with constitutional notions of due course of, and failure to stick to its personal procedural guidelines and precedent represents an unprecedented overreach that threatens basic constitutional rights and established procedural protections.”

Gaetz instructed conservative persona Charlie Kirk final month that he plans to spend the approaching years “combating for President Trump.” 

“I feel that eight years might be sufficient time in the US Congress,” Gaetz mentioned, although final week, he floated in a publish on X the thought of returning to take part within the election for Home speaker.

The Home Ethics Committee had initially voted to maintain the report below wraps, however reversed course in a secret vote earlier this month. Two Republican members of the committee had been amongst those that voted for its launch, in accordance with two sources conversant in the vote. The committee has 10 members, evenly break up between Republicans and Democrats.

contributed to this report.