U.S. House report finds Matt Gaetz paid thousands of dollars for sex, drugs, media reports say

Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House Ethics Committee found that former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars for drugs and sex to women, including with a 17-year-old girl, U.S. media reported on Monday, citing final findings. sexual behavior.

Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, resigned from the House of Representatives last month after being selected as attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump. Facing a tough confirmation battle in the Senate, he withdrew from consideration.

In an effort to block the report’s expected release on Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit against the ethics committee, saying the damage to his reputation and professional standing would be “serious and irreversible.”

Reuters could not immediately reach Gates for comment.

The report found that Gaetz paid more than $90,000 to 12 different women, and an ethics panel determined the payments were likely related to sexual activity and drug use, according to CBS News. CNN (CNN) reported similar details of the draft report. Both outlets said his actions violated Florida law.

According to CBS, testimony received by the ethics committee showed that Gates had sex twice with a 17-year-old girl at a party in 2017, described in the report as “Victim A.”

CBS quoted the report as saying, “Victim A recalled that that night, she received $400 in cash from Rep. Gates, which she believed was payment for sex.” “Victim A said she did not tell Gates Congresswoman was under 18 at the time, and Gates did not ask her age.”

Gaetz was the subject of a three-year FBI investigation into sex trafficking allegations that did not result in any criminal charges.

The ethics committee said there was insufficient evidence that the three-term congressman violated federal sex trafficking statutes, CBS reported.

According to CBS, all of the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Gaetz were consensual.

However, one woman told the committee that using drugs at parties and events she participated in could “damage[ed their] The ability to truly understand what is going on or to fully agree with it.

Another woman told the committee: “When I look back at certain moments, I feel violated.”

Gaetz argued in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., that the panel violated his due process rights under the law by “threatening to release investigative reports containing potentially defamatory allegations.”

The panel’s report found Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape and drug use, CBS reported.

The investigation also found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz was involved in illegal drug use, CBS reported. CBS added, accusing him of accepting luxury travel gifts that exceeded the allowed limit during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Rami Ayoub and Mark Porter)