Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz allegedly paid thousands of dollars to women for sex, including a 17-year-old girl, or to obtain drugs on around 20 occasions.
• Also read: Sexual Assault Allegations: Matt Gaetz Steps Down as US Attorney General
• Also read: Here's why the nomination of ultra-Trumpist Matt Gaetz to Justice is having difficulty passing
• Also read: “A bomb that fell”: the controversial nomination of Matt Gaetz does not pass for some Republicans
According to a House Ethics Committee report, obtained by CNN, “substantial evidence” proves Matt Gaetz allegedly violated Florida state laws, including the state's statutory rape law .
“The Committee has determined that there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated the rules of the House and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use, impermissible gifts, favors or special privileges and obstruction of Congress,” investigators said in the final version of the panel’s report.
During his time in Congress, Mr. Gaetz allegedly made transactions, often through the payment service PayPal or Venmo, to more than a dozen women.
He also allegedly “violated the House gift rule” during a trip to the Bahamas in 2018, during which he “engaged in sexual activity” with several women.
Matt Gaetz, for his part, denied any wrongdoing, including paying to have sex with women, in a statement published on X last week.
“When I was single, I often sent money to women I dated – even some who I had never dated, but who asked me. I have dated several of these women for years,” Mr. Gaetz wrote. It's embarrassing, but not criminal, that I probably partied, dated, drank, and smoked more than I should have. I live a different life now.”
The report says dozens of witnesses who attended parties or trips with the former representative between 2017 and 2020 allegedly confirmed that he paid women for sex.
He also allegedly had sex on “two occasions” with a 17-year-old girl at a party in July 2017, according to the panel. These statements were also denied by Mr. Gaetz, noting that he had “never had sexual contact with anyone under the age of 18,” he wrote on X last week.
The man who had been President-elect Donald Trump's first choice for attorney general had withdrawn due to opposition from Republican senators.
– With information from CNN
