Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD), a member of the House Ethics Committee, said they released the report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) because it could be "important" to future employers. He also said the committee had "additional information" that could lead to criminal charges after the Justice Department initially decided not to proceed with a case against the Florida Republican.
In a Monday interview with CBS correspondent Scott MacFarlane, Ivey outlined what investigators found when they looked into Gaetz.
"The Committee found substantial evidence of sexual misconduct, specifically with an underage woman who was 17," he said. "This occurred in Florida, which would raise statutory rape concerns in that state."
"There were numerous other women that had allegations of potentially being paid for sex, things that looked like prostitution, arguably," he continued. "The illicit drug use, which I think Gates just acknowledged in a public statement that he made the other day, but using cocaine and ecstasy while you're a member of Congress I think is concerning, too."
Ivey argued that it was essential to release the information even though Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress.
"I don't know what he's going to want to do down the road where he might want to run for office again. In that instance, voters should probably have this information," he noted. "You might want to stay in the private sector and do work there, but I can imagine employers wanting to have this information, too."
Ivey also pointed out that everything in the report was "over the line" from an ethics standpoint.
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Although the Department of Justice declined to prosecute Gaetz last year, the Maryland Democrat suggested that could change in the future.
"We do have some additional information in there that might be of interest to them," Ivey said. "And of course, there are state officials who can review this conduct as well and draw their own conclusions about whether they should move forward or not."
Watch the clip below or at this link.
