Read the Entire Matt Gaetz House Ethics Report: Leaked Texts Show Arrangements for Former Florida Rep. and 20-Year-Old to 'Have Sex and Do Drugs' Together
A House Ethics Committee has released a scathing report on Gaetz.
Dec. 23 2024, Published 1:51 p.m. ET
Text from the entire House Ethics Committee report on former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz paints a picture of someone who seemed ready and willing to pay for sexual favors.
RadarOnline.com has read the full report, which concludes there is substantial evidence that Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, and illicit drug use.
Gaetz recently resigned from his Florida House seat.
According to the report, Gaetz, 42, was a client on the website "SeekingArrangement.com," which advertised itself as a "sugar dating" website that "primarily connected older men and younger women seeking 'mutually beneficial relationships.'"
It added: "The website was generally understood by many of the women interviewed by the Committee to involve, at minimum, an exchange of companionship for money."
The report also detailed: "Many of the women interviewed by the Committee were clear that there was a general expectation of sex.
"One woman who was paid more than $5,000 by Representative Gaetz between 2018 and 2019 told the Committee that '99 percent of the time that [Representative Gaetz and I] were hanging out, there was sex involved.'"
The report details the allegations against Gaetz.
In one section of the report, text messages obtained by the committee reveal Gaetz’s then-girlfriend informed some of the women who were typically paid for sex that "the guys wanted me to share that they are a little limited in their cash flow this weekend . . . (M)att was like if it can be more of a customer appreciation week. . . ."
A few months later, she noted: "Btw Matt also mentioned he is going to be a bit generous cause of the 'customer appreciation' thing last time."
A text message chain between a woman and an associate of Gaetz.
Gatez was also slammed for his failure to willingly cooperate in the investigation.
According to the report: "Representative Gaetz was uncooperative throughout the Committee’s review. He provided minimal documentation in response to the Committee’s requests. He also did not agree to a voluntary interview.
"On July 11, 2024, the Committee issued a subpoena to Representative Gaetz for his testimony. He did not appear, despite having received notice of the date and time of the deposition.
"The Committee then sent Representative Gaetz a set of written questions, to which he issued a public response that ignored most of the direct questions about his misconduct and mischaracterized the Committee’s investigation and his participation up to that point."
The report summarizes the conclusions.
Gaetz, 42, who at one time was Donald Trump's pick for his attorney general, filed an unsuccessful lawsuit seeking a restraining order to prevent the report from being released to the public.
Instead, the report found that Gaetz "regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him" from 2017 to 2020.
In the final draft of the report, the ethics committee revealed Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, identified as "Victim A", twice at a party in 2017.
According to the report, the girl, who had just finished her junior year of high school, said she was given $400 in cash from Gaetz, which she understood to be "payment for sex".
Gaetz was Donald Trump's first choice for Attorney General.
The document further details allegations of sex and drug-fuelled parties and travel, including a 2018 trip to the Bahamas.
According to the report: "The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress."
The committee also concluded: "From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use."
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The former Representative has denied any wrongdoing.
However, the committee seemed to clear Gaetz of violating federal sex trafficking laws.
"Although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion."
Gaetz has long denied allegations that he has ever had sex with a minor, transported the alleged victim across state lines to engage in prostitution, or that he obstructed justice to cover up his actions.
In a fiery response on X, Gaetz condemned: "Giving funds to someone you are dating - that they didn’t ask for - and that isn’t 'charged' for sex is now prostitution?!? "There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses."
