What's New
A congressional ethics report on former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz is expected to be released Monday.
The House Ethics Committee report has been obtained by CBS News and website Just the News. The report, which has not been seen by Newsweek, is said to conclude there is "substantial evidence" that Gaetz paid numerous women—including a 17-year-old— for sex, and purchased and used illegal drugs, breaking multiple state laws. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
Newsweek has contacted a spokesperson for Gaetz for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
The report is expected to shed new light on allegations that Gaetz, whom President-elect Donald Trump briefly considered to lead the Department of Justice, has long denied. The claims of wrongdoing could likely further hinder Gaetz's future political career amid talks of a potential run for the Senate or Florida governor.
What to Know
Gaetz resigned from Congress after being tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as the next attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew his name from consideration, citing the "unfair distraction" caused by calls for the House Ethics Committee to release its report.
The panel voted to release its report on Gaetz earlier in December. The investigation examined allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor, illicit drug use, sharing inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, and accepting bribes and improper gifts.
The 37-page report is expected to allege that Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex and used drugs in his Capitol Hill office, according to CBS News.
"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 says, per CBS News.
However, the report says there is insufficient evidence to suggest Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, which were previously investigated by the Department of Justice. No charges were brought against Gaetz over claims he allegedly had sex with a minor and paid her to travel with him across state lines. Gaetz has denied all the allegations.
It does state that while Gaetz transported women across state lines for sex, they were 18 or older at the time.
Witnesses cited by the report said they saw Gaetz take ecstasy during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas. Gaetz was a sitting member of Congress at the time. The report also alleges that Gaetz "intentionally withheld information" from the panel regarding taking a free private plane ride back from the Caribbean island.
"Even if Representative Gaetz's obstructive conduct in this investigation did not rise to the level of a criminal violation, it was certainly inconsistent with the requirement that Members act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House," the report said, via Just the News.
The report alleges Gaetz paid over $90,000 to 12 women between 2017 and 2020, with the payments "likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use," according to CBS News.
One of these women was a 17-year-old girl, identified in the report as Victim A, who allegedly had sex with Gaetz at a house party in 2017.
"Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex," the report states. "Victim A said she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age."
In his written response, Gaetz described the payments as someone "trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward."
The report also alleges Gaetz used a fake email account from his Capitol Hill office to purchase marijuana. Gaetz denied using illicit drugs in his written responses to the panel.
The House Ethics Committee has previously released reports on members of Congress after they left office, but such instances have been rare.
What People Are Saying
Matt Gaetz denied the bulk of the claims in a December 18 statement: "The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes. I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated—even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court—which is why no such claim was ever made in court. My 30s were an era of working very hard—and playing hard too. 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."
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican, who voted against the report's release, said in a dissenting statement: "Representative Gaetz resigned from Congress, withdrew from consideration to serve in the next administration, and declared that he would not seek to be seated in the 119th Congress. The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the committee's long-standing practice, opens the committee to undue criticism, and will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the committee's process."
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, a former member of the Ethics Committee, praised the report's upcoming release in a statement: "This is some of the most serious misconduct the committee has ever addressed. The public needs this report."
Darren Beattie, who was a White House speechwriter in the first Trump administration, posted on X, formerly Twitter: "The witch-hunt against Gaetz is pathetic, but instructive. The more effective you are on behalf of Trump's America First agenda, the harder the corrupt regime attacks you."
What's Next
The report on Gaetz could be released as soon as Monday.
Gaetz, who is set to host his own show on the One America News Network starting in January, has also hinted at running for Marco Rubio's vacated Florida Senate seat.
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