The House Ethics Committee’s report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz has revealed shocking details about his alleged misconduct, including substantial payments for sexual encounters. Gaetz, of course, was President-elect Donald Trump’s first pick to head the Department of Justice.
According to the report, Gaetz disbursed over $90,000 to at least 12 different women between 2017 and 2020, which investigators believe were likely connected to sexual activities and/or drug use.
The committee uncovered a complex network of payments, often made through intermediaries or using aliases to obscure the transactions. Gaetz reportedly used various methods, including PayPal and Venmo for direct payments, checks made out to “cash,” an associate’s PayPal account, and an email address with an alias.
Gaetz, of course, was President-elect Donald Trump’s first pick to head the Department of Justice.
The report also indicates that Gaetz made these payments on at least 20 occasions. One woman who received over $5,000 from Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the committee that “99 percent of the time” they were together, sex was involved.
Perhaps most disturbing is the allegation that Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl, a minor, referred to as “Victim A,” $400 for sex in 2017. The report states that the victim had just completed her junior year of high school at the time.
Additional allegations include regular use of illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy2, purchasing marijuana from his Capitol Hill office, and violating House gift regulations during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.
Gaetz’s Response
Gaetz has consistently denied all wrongdoing. He claims that any money given to women was intended as gifts rather than payment for services. He also points to the Department of Justice’s decision not to bring charges against him in 2023 after a criminal probe.
Despite these denials, the House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz violated multiple House rules and standards of conduct. The release of this report marks the conclusion of a prolonged investigation into the former congressman’s conduct.
Gaetz, of course, was President-elect Donald Trump’s first pick to head the Department of Justice.