WASHINGTON − The House Ethics Committee has determined that there is “significant evidence” indicating that former Representative Matt Gaetz was involved in “prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use,” and obstruction of Congress, based on a long-anticipated report concerning alleged misconduct related to President-elect Donald Trump’s initial nomination for U.S. Attorney General, as revealed in a report published on Monday.

In a last-ditch effort, Gaetz tried but failed to stop the release of the committee’s report, which has been a point of controversy for the Florida Republican for several years. He has consistently denied any allegations of paying for sex with a minor, and a long-running investigation by the Department of Justice concluded without any criminal charges being filed.

According to the report, “The evidence strongly indicates that Representative Gaetz had sexual relations with several women” at a party in Florida in 2017, “including a then-17-year-old, who was compensated for her involvement.”

The report notes that “Victim A” stated she received $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that night, believing it to be payment for sex, shortly after completing her junior year in high school.

The witness informed the committee that she hadn’t disclosed her age to Gaetz, nor did he inquire about it, according to the report.

Gaetz, who spoke to attendees at the conservative Turning Point AmericaFest 2024 conference in Phoenix on Sunday, has yet to respond to requests for comment via email. He commented on social media, questioning, “Is giving money to someone you’re dating – without them asking – considered prostitution?!?”

In another post, he expressed frustration, stating, “There’s a reason this report came out on December 23rd instead of in a court where I could have presented evidence and confronted witnesses,” referring to the timing of the report release.

Allegations of Sex, Drugs, Bribes, and a Bahamas Trip

The committee’s 37-page report, along with four appendices, outlines several startling allegations regarding Gaetz’s conduct before his resignation from Congress, although these claims remain unverified.

The allegations include:

◾ Gaetz “regularly” compensated women for sex from 2017 to 2020.

◾ From 2017 to 2019, he “used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, multiple times.”

◾ Gaetz “accepted gifts such as transportation and lodging exceeding allowable limits during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.”

◾ In 2018, he enlisted the help of his chief of staff to assist a sexual partner in obtaining a passport, misleading the U.S. State Department by stating she was a constituent.

◾ Gaetz “knowingly attempted to obstruct the Committee’s investigation of his actions.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the incoming ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, remarked, “This is a profoundly damaging report for any sitting member of Congress, particularly for someone aiming for the role of Attorney General.”

Raskin further stated, “It’s not merely the prostitution or the findings of statutory rape and sexual misconduct; it also cites the use of drugs and violations of the gift ban, combined with attempts to thwart the Ethics Committee investigation.”

Gaetz Responds: Report Represents ‘Unprecedented Overreach’

In a recent post, Gaetz claimed he sent money to women he dated, “including some who just asked,” and admitted to engaging in partying and drinking more than he should have in his younger years.

However, he emphasized, “I have NEVER engaged in sexual contact with anyone under 18. Any such allegation would crumble in court, which is why no charges were ever filed.”

On Monday morning, he filed a request with a federal judge in Washington, D.C., seeking to halt the release of the Ethics Committee report.

He accused the committee of exercising “unprecedented overreach that infringes upon fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections.”

Access the Gaetz Report

A Sudden Change of Heart

This month, in a secret vote, the bipartisan committee decided to release the report despite opposition from some Republican members.

This marked a significant shift for the committee, which had previously opted not to release the report in November. Following Gaetz’s resignation shortly after Trump’s nomination of him as U.S. Attorney General, the report’s release gained urgency.

Trump had previously referred to Gaetz as Described as a “deeply talented and persistent lawyer,” this individual has made a name for himself in Congress by prioritizing much-needed reforms within the Department of Justice.

The 10-member Ethics Committee is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and its meetings are held privately.

Previously, committee members voted along party lines against making their findings public, which were the result of a nearly four-year investigation.

House Democrats have advocated for the release of the report, continuing to push for it even after Gaetz stepped down from Congress and withdrew from consideration as Trump’s nominee for the DOJ.

In November, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for Trump’s attorney general position, stating he wanted to avoid “an unnecessarily prolonged dispute in Washington.”

Republicans argued that, since Gaetz was no longer a member of Congress, the report should remain confidential. It remains unclear which Republicans changed their votes to allow the report’s release.

A vote in the House to compel the report’s release also failed, with nearly all GOP members opposing it. A particularly vocal opponent was Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who claimed that publishing the report would create a “dangerous precedent.”

Although ethics reports have been published in the past following a member’s resignation, such occurrences are rare.

Allegations of sexual parties and payments

The DOJ had previously conducted an investigation into Gaetz for alleged sex trafficking but ultimately closed the inquiry without filing any charges, according to his lawyers, as reported to YSL News in February 2023.

In a post on X, Gaetz asserted that he had been fully cleared of wrongdoing, although federal authorities have never explicitly confirmed this.

(This article has been updated with the latest information.)