House ethics report details alleged sex with underage girl

the House Ethics Committee She revealed Monday that she had found “substantial evidence” that former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl in 2017, and that he “regularly” paid women for sex while in Congress.

Painting, in A Final report In her years-long investigation of Gaetz, she also found that he used illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions between 2017 and 2019.

The bipartisan panel concluded that Gaetz also accepted gifts, including a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, “in amounts in excess of what was permitted.”

“Representative Gaetz acted in a manner that undermined the credibility of the House of Representatives,” the report stated.

The committee said it found “substantial evidence that Rep. Gaetz violated the House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, rape, illegal drug use, accepting impermissible gifts, providing special favors and privileges, and obstruction.” From Congress.”

But it found insufficient evidence that Gaetz violated a federal sex trafficking law, even though he “caused the transport of women across state lines for the purposes of commercial sex.” The commission said it found no evidence that these women were under 18 when the trip took place, and could not conclude that “the commercial sexual acts were committed by force, fraud or coercion.”

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Gaetz’s lawyer did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the report. With the release of the report, Gaetz denied in a series of posts on X that he was involved in prostitution or sex trafficking.

“There’s a reason they did this to me in a report on Christmas Eve and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses,” Gaetz wrote in a post.

Hours before the long-awaited report was released, Gaetz asked a federal judge to issue a ruling Temporary restraining order That would prevent its release.

Gaetz, 42, resigned from Congress in mid-November, shortly after the president was elected Donald Trump He chose him to be Attorney General of the United States. Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department immediately drew boos from critics, who were quick to point out that Gaetz, if confirmed, would be in charge of the agency that previously investigated him for sex trafficking allegations.

the Ministry of Justice This investigation was concluded without criminal charges being filed. But the Ethics Commission, which had paused its efforts while implementing the Justice Department’s version, reauthorized its investigation in May 2023.

When Gaetz left Congress, Republicans, including Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, R-Mo., said he was no longer within the committee’s jurisdiction, casting doubt on whether its report would be made public.

News outlets I mentioned Meanwhile, Gaetz’s departure came just two days before the Ethics Committee voted to issue the report. The committee is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. At a dead end On whether the report will be shared even though Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress.

But in A Secret vote On December 10, the committee decided to publish the report.

Gates withdrew His bid for attorney general came just eight days after Trump was chosen, saying he was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the Republican president-elect’s transition efforts.

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