The House Ethics Committee has released a damning report alleging that former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars for s3x and drugs on at least 20 occasions. The report includes claims that Gaetz violated Florida’s statutory rape laws by engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old in 2017, though he has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The committee detailed evidence of payments Gaetz made via digital platforms like Venmo and PayPal to over a dozen women, some of whom confirmed they were paid for s3x. It also cited a 2018 Bahamas trip where Gaetz allegedly engaged in sexual activity with multiple women, consumed illegal drugs such as ecstasy, and violated House gift rules.
Despite Gaetz’s legal efforts to block the report’s release, a federal judge deemed the lawsuit moot after its public publication. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing, claiming the findings are false and an invasion of his privacy.
The report also implicates Gaetz’s close associate, Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector now serving an 11-year prison sentence, in organizing several of the illicit encounters. Greenberg reportedly used a “sugar dating” website to connect Gaetz with women.
Though the Department of Justice declined to press federal charges in 2023, the Ethics Committee resumed its investigation, uncovering evidence of illegal drug use, improper gifts, and other violations of House rules. The report has sparked renewed scrutiny of Gaetz, who recently resigned from Congress and failed in his bid to become Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Gaetz continues to deny the allegations, asserting his innocence and attributing his past conduct to youthful indiscretions.
