 "A 37-page report reveals fresh details about Matt Gaetz's alleged behaviour. The report states that he broke multiple state laws and that he’s previously paid a minor for sex. File image/AP")
He made big headlines when Donald Trump chose him to be the US attorney general. But Matt Gaetz, who resigned from the US House of Representatives in November, is now making headlines as a report released by the House Ethics Committee reveals that he engaged in an array of illegal and untoward conduct, including having sex with a 17-year-old girl.
The former Florida Congressman has denied any wrongdoing. However, the 37-page report released on Monday (December 23) says “the Committee determined there is substantial evidence” that he “violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favours and privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”
The report — a culmination of a years-long investigation — said there was “substantial evidence” that between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz “regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him,” and from 2017 to 2019, possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on “multiple different occasions”.
We take a closer look at this bombshell report and determine the biggest takeaways from it.
Gaetz had sex with a minor
According to the House Ethics Committee report, there is enough evidence that shows that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old in July 2017, when he was 35. The woman, identified as Victim A in the report, “had just completed her junior year of high school.” The age of consent in Florida is 18.
The report reveals that Gaetz engaged in sexual intercourse with the minor twice, with the teen recalling that she “received $400 in cash from him”. The report also stated that the woman used ecstasy that night and that she had seen Gaetz use cocaine at the party.
However, the report did say that Gaetz was not aware that the girl was 17 until more than a month after the sexual encounters.
Notably, Gaetz had previously denied allegations of having sex with a minor. In a recent post on X, he wrote: “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.”
Gaetz spent thousands on numerous sexual encounters
The detailed report released on Monday shows that Gaetz paid more than $90,000 to women for sex and drugs. The report lists payments to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020, all made through apps like PayPal, Venmo and CashApp.
The report found that the numerous women were either paid by the former Congressman himself or his friend, Joel Greenberg, who is currently serving 11 years in prison for crimes he said he committed with Gaetz.
The committee found that the sexual encounters were often organised by Greenberg through a website, SeekingArrangement.com. “Mr. Greenberg told the Committee that Representative Gaetz was aware that the women they had sex with and paid had met Mr. Greenberg through the ‘sugar dating’ website,” the panel wrote.
The committee wrote in its report that all the women interviewed during the course of the investigation said that the encounters were consensual. However, at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have ‘impair(ed their) ability to really know what was going on or fully consent’,” the panel wrote. “One woman said, ‘I think about it all the time… I still see him when I turn on the TV and there’s nothing anyone can do. It’s frustrating to know I lived a reality that he denies’.”
Gaetz has denied paying for sex, writing on X, “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.”
Gaetz used several illegal drugs
According to the report, there’s substantial evidence that Matt Gaetz used cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, even setting up “a pseudonymous email account from his House office in the Capitol complex for the purpose of purchasing marijuana.”
The committee stated that it also received evidence that Gaetz provided drugs to women to facilitate sexual encounters.
Gaetz has, however, denied using illicit drugs, the committee said.
A Bahamas holiday and passport application
Apart from the findings of paid sex and drug use, the report has also revealed that Gaetz violated House rules to accept luxury gifts, including a holiday to the Bahamas in 2018.
According to the rules, members must follow the “Gift Rule” that requires them to apply “for a waiver to accept gifts of personal friendship with a fair market value over a threshold amount.”
Moreover, Gaetz falsely indicated to the State Department that a woman whom he had engaged in sexual activity with was a constituent, and asked his chief of staff to assist her in getting a passport on an expedited basis.
This is a violation of House rules that bar him from using his position for special favours. According to the committee: “The woman was not his constituent, and the case was not handled in the same manner as similar passport assistance cases.”
Accusations of obstruction
A big part of the report focuses on Gaetz’s uncooperative behaviour during the committee’s investigation. The panel wrote that he provided “minimal documentation” in response to its requests, and did not agree to a voluntary interview.
The report concluded he “continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed”.
Uncertain future for Gaetz
The Ethics Committee’s report is an embarrassing blow to Gaetz. However, it is not clear that the former Congressman will face further prosecution.
The Justice Department has investigated Gaetz for the same matters examined by the House panel. And they had informed Gaetz’s legal team in February 2023 that they would not bring charges. The prosecutors had concluded that they could not make a strong enough case in court.
With inputs from agencies