CBS News reports that Matt Gaetz, a former Republican Congressman from Florida, is facing serious allegations in a House ethics report.
The report accuses him of using illegal drugs and paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, which is against Florida laws. These accusations have raised questions about his past actions while he was in office.
Gaetz recently resigned from Congress after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for the position of Attorney General. However, his political future was already under scrutiny because of the ethics investigation.
Last week, a secret vote by the House Ethics Committee decided that the report would be made public, and it is expected to be released soon.
The report reveals that Gaetz paid more than $90,000 to 12 different women between 2017 and 2020. These payments were allegedly connected to sexual activity and drug use, including drugs like cocaine and ecstasy.
Among the accusations, the report states that Gaetz had sex twice with a 17-year-old girl, who told investigators that she received $400 in cash from him, which she understood to be payment for sex.
The report also claims that Gaetz used a fake email address from his Capitol Hill office to buy marijuana and often referred to drugs as “party favors” and “vitamins.”
Although the investigation did not find enough evidence to charge Gaetz with federal sex trafficking, it accuses him of obstructing the investigation and violating several ethics rules.
These include rules against prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and providing improper gifts. Gaetz has denied all allegations, claiming that while his past behavior might have been embarrassing, it was not criminal. He refused to testify in person before the Ethics Committee and only provided written answers to some of their questions.
Initially, the Ethics Committee voted to keep the report private after Gaetz resigned from Congress in November and stepped down as Trump’s Attorney General nominee. However, a new vote this month reversed that decision, and the report is now set to be released to the public.
Since leaving Congress, Gaetz has joined the conservative news network OAN. Over the weekend, during a speech at a Turning Point USA conference, he hinted at running for the U.S. Senate. He plans to campaign for the seat currently held by Marco Rubio, who will soon leave the Senate to serve as Secretary of State in Trump’s administration.
These revelations have further damaged Gaetz’s reputation, and the upcoming release of the ethics report is expected to bring even more scrutiny to his actions during his time in Congress. Despite this, Gaetz continues to deny the allegations and remains active in conservative politics.
