Former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz reportedly paid more than $90,000 for sex, including with a minor, and provided illegal drugs as ‘party favors,’ according to an official report.
Gaetz, 42, made the payments to women for sex while he was a member of Congress, the House Ethics Committee investigation found.
The bipartisan report, made public on Monday, revealed that “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.”
Gaetz spent more than $90,000 given to 12 different women, the report said.
The report included details of two sexual encounters that he had with a 17-year-old girl identified as ‘Victim A.’
It stated: ‘Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.
‘Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.’
In an attempt to block the release of the report, Gaetz filed a last-minute lawsuit against the Ethics panel, expressing concerns that the damage to his reputation and career would be significant and irreversible.
His lawyers said the report included ‘untruthful and defamatory information’ and the committee no longer had jurisdiction over a former member of Congress.
The report found Gaetz, 42, made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women
Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz
The report notes that all the women who testified before the committee called their sexual encounters with Gaetz ‘consensual.’
Gaetz has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, even admitting last week that he ‘womanized and partied’ more than he should have in his 20s.
‘My 30’s 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,’ Gaetz wrote on X.
The former congressman insisted that he ‘NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18’ and pointed to the Justice Department’s ‘complete exoneration’ of him.
He says that now, he lives ‘a different life’ with his wife Ginger in Florida.
He is rumored to be seeking to fill Sen. Marco Rubio’s soon to be vacant Senate seat as he takes the role of Trump’s Secretary of Sate.
Matt Gaetz and his wife Ginger Luckey at an vent for the ‘Barbie’ movie
The report also found ‘substantial evidence’ that the Republican used illegal drugs including cocaine and ecstasy.
Gaetz, according to the committee, referred to drugs as ‘party favors’ and ‘vitamins.’
It also found that Gaetz created a fake email account for the purpose of buying weed.
The ex-congressman has denied that he ever used illegal drugs during this period of his life.
Last week, the committee voted to release its report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz’s conduct in a stunning reversal.
The same committee had voted along party lines last month to keep the report secret after President-elect tapped Gaetz, a top MAGA Congressional ally, to serve as attorney general.
Gaetz pulled out of the process after it was determined his bid wouldn’t get through the Senate, with Trump replacing him with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Florida congressman resigned from Congress in mid-November after being named as Trump’s attorney general pick and later said he wouldn’t retake the Florida congressional seat that he won in the November 5 general election.
It’s rare that an Ethics Committee report is being released after a member resigned from Congress and the decision to release it means some Republicans changed their votes and sided with Democrats on making the findings public.
The Ethics Committee investigation was a years-long look into allegations against Gaetz including sexual misconduct, whether the Florida Republican used illicit drugs and whether he ‘shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor.’
It also examined whether he ‘misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts,’ according to a description of the investigation released last summer.
The House Ethics Committee has voted to release its report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz’s conduct after all in a stunning reversal
Ginger Gaetz, wife of former congressman Matt Gaetz
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he’s against the release of the report since Gaetz already resigned from Congress – but he can’t prevent the report’s release.
A number of members of Congress have expressed that they believe Gaetz quit to bury the report.
Gaetz charged that ‘the very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible’ were used by the House Ethics committee to smear him.
‘I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers,’ he wrote. ‘I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued.’
‘Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body,’ the former Florida congressman complained.
Gaetz acknowledged that he sent money to women he dated.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz responded to the news reports that the House Ethics Committee report would be released in coming days by saying that his conduct was ’embarrassing, though not criminal’
It was reported last month that he paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in the sexual misconduct probes carried out by the DOJ and the House Ethics Committee.
‘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,’ he wrote. ‘I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18,’ he also said.
‘Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court – which is why no such claim was ever made in court,’ Gaetz added.
Gaetz, 42, who married his wife Ginger Luckey Gaetz in 2021, suggested he was just being an irresponsible bachelor.
Matt Gaetz speaks at a 2024 campaign rally for former US President Donald Trump in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.
att Gaetz appears before the House Rules Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023
‘My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too,’ he said.
‘It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life,’ Gaetz continued. ‘I live a different life now.’
‘But at least I didn’t vote for CR’s that f*** over the country!’ he added.
The CR – or continuing resolution – is the short-term spending bill Congress needs to pass before Saturday to avoid a government shutdown.
MAGA allies of Trump, including Elon Musk, have complained about the amount of government spending contained in the bipartisan piece of legislation.
