A U.S. House Ethics Committee report released Monday details substantial evidence of misconduct by former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s initial choice for attorney general. The 42-page report, concluding a years-long investigation, alleges that Gaetz paid for sex, including with a minor, used illegal drugs, and attempted to obstruct investigators. Gaetz denies all allegations.
The report states that Gaetz “regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity,” using cocaine and ecstasy between 2017 and 2019. It further alleges he accepted gifts, including a trip to the Bahamas in 2018, and misled the Department of State to obtain a passport for a woman he was involved with, falsely claiming she was a constituent. The report highlights that Gaetz’s actions exploiting the economic vulnerability of young women violated Florida prostitution and statutory rape laws. While Gaetz has not been criminally charged, the committee cited “substantial evidence” supporting the claim that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl (“Victim A”) in July 2017, when he was 35. This allegation is corroborated by Victim A’s testimony and multiple witnesses who also testified under oath before a federal grand jury and in civil litigation. Gaetz denied the allegations, refused to testify under oath, and publicly claimed Victim A “doesn’t exist.”
Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general in November 2024 was met with immediate criticism, particularly given a prior Department of Justice sex trafficking investigation that yielded no charges. He resigned from the House shortly after his nomination and withdrew his candidacy following further scrutiny of the Ethics Committee’s investigation, which began in April 2021.
Gaetz maintains his innocence, filing a lawsuit on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He argues the committee’s release of the report is unconstitutional due to its lack of jurisdiction over a private citizen, criticizing the timing of the report’s release as a deliberate attempt to damage him. He refused a voluntary interview with the committee.
The committee’s decision to release the report was contentious, initially blocked on November 20th before being reversed on December 10th. Committee Chair Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, publicly opposed the release, stating the committee lost jurisdiction after Gaetz’s resignation on November 14, 2024, and that the release deviated from established standards. The report’s release on December 23rd, 2024, sparked significant controversy.