President-elect Donald Trump has made a lot of wild Cabinet picks, but only one was so stunning that he lasted barely more than a week: Matt Gaetz for U.S. attorney general. In addition to being a far-right firebrand with minimal legal experience, the U.S. representative from Florida was facing the release of a House Ethics Committee report involving allegations that he had sex with a minor.
Though it’s been more than a month since Gaetz resigned from Congress and withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general, on December 23 the committee released its final report. In the 37-page document, the committee alleged that Gaetz spent thousands on illegal drugs and sex — including an encounter with a 17-year-old girl that violated Florida’s statutory-rape law. Here’s what we know so far about the committee’s findings and the response from Gaetz.
What does the Ethics Committee report say about Gaetz?
After weeks of debate, last week the House Ethics Committee voted to release the Gaetz report. By Monday, multiple news outlets had obtained a copy of a draft of the final report. It determined that the congressman had paid tens of thousands of dollars to 12 women over three years, likely in exchange for sex and drugs, and that he had attempted to obstruct the committee’s investigation. The panel examined financial transactions made to 12 women through PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App as well as text messages that discussed the payments. According to the committee, Gaetz was “uncooperative” throughout its inquiry, provided “minimal documentation,” and did not sit down for a voluntary interview with the panel.
“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report reads.
Panel investigators heard testimony from multiple women. One woman, identified as “Victim A,” claims that she met Gaetz at a 2017 party when she was only 17 years old and later had sex with him, an allegation that Gaetz has consistently denied.
“Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. At the time, she had just completed her junior year of high school,” the committee wrote. “Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”
The committee found significant evidence that Gaetz took part in illegal drug use, writing that the then-congressman even set up a fake email account from his House office to use to obtain marijuana. “There is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana. At least two women saw Representative Gaetz using cocaine and ecstasy at different events,” the committee wrote.
Though the panel was unable to speak to every woman who received a payment from Gaetz, several testified that there was “a general expectation of sex.” While several witnesses said they engaged in consensual sexual activity with Gaetz, one woman said she felt that the drug use at the parties impaired their “ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.”
The panel also looked into a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas, finding that Gaetz likely violated House rules by accepting gifts including transportation and lodging “in excess of permissible amounts.” The report also levies a new allegation against Gaetz, claiming that the congressman helped a woman he was sexually involved with obtain a passport by lying to the State Department about her being one of his constituents. However, the committee acknowledged that it was unable to find sufficient evidence that Gaetz violated the sex-trafficking statute, as has been previously alleged.
Why is this report coming out now?
The House Ethics Committee first began looking into Gaetz’s actions in 2021, investigating whether the congressman engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other potential offenses. But the panel paused its inquiry as the Justice Department mounted its own investigation into Gaetz. When the federal government declined to bring charges against Gaetz last year, the committee revived its probe.
The ethics report drew new scrutiny when Trump nominated Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, with members of Congress and the public calling for its release as part of the vetting process. The committee was divided on whether the report should be made public after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress, ending its jurisdiction over the ex-congressman. Though there is precedence for congressional panels releasing reports on former members, it’s something they typically avoid.
Though the committee ultimately voted in favor of its release last week, Chairman Michael Guest noted the dissenting members’ objections in the final report.
“While we do not challenge the Committee’s findings, we take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committee’s well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committee’s jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006,” he wrote.
How has Matt Gaetz responded?
Gaetz tried to get ahead of the story with a lengthy statement posted to X on December 18.
“My 30’s were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too,” he wrote. “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.”
On Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit against the House Ethics Committee, seeking to block the release of the report by claiming that the damage to his reputation would be “immediate, severe and irreversible.” The New York Times reports that Gaetz was notified by a clerk with the federal court that his suit was improperly filed.
Gaetz has remained in the spotlight, despite the looming allegations against him. After leaving Congress, he started an account on Cameo, selling personalized videos at $500 each. One America News Network, a far-right cable channel, hired Gaetz to anchor his own political talk show beginning in January. And Gaetz seemingly hasn’t ruled out a return to Congress. During his speech at the Turning Point Action event in Arizona over the weekend, Gaetz floated the possibility of running for Florida senator Marco Rubio’s seat, which will likely be open following his nomination to serve as Trump’s secretary of State.
“Many have asked which perch I will be fighting from,” Gaetz told the crowd. “Maybe I’ll just run for Marco Rubio’s vacant seat in the United States Senate and join some of those folks.”
