Leaked draft of Matt Gaetz ethics report finds evidence he paid for sex with minor

A leaked draft of a House ethics committee report on Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman, found “substantial evidence” that he engaged in sex trafficking and paid for sex with a minor, among other serious violations of state law and congressional rules.

The draft investigation was obtained by CNN and concludes that Gaetz, Trump’s first pick for attorney general, made payments totalling tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs across at least 20 separate occasions. The draft report also states that in 2017 Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex, which would constitute statutory rape under Florida law.

“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 GOP-led panel reportedly wrote in the investigation.

According to the final draft document reported by CNN, Gaetz used payment apps including Venmo and PayPal to transfer money directly to more than a dozen women during his time in Congress.

Investigators also highlighted a 2018 trip to the Bahamas where Gaetz allegedly “engaged in sexual activity” with multiple women. One woman told the committee that the trip itself served as “payment” for sexual services. The same witness reported that Gaetz took ecstasy during the Bahamas visit, which investigators determined violated House gift rules.

The Gaetz legal team, meanwhile, is fighting hard to keep the report from seeing the light of day, arguing in a new lawsuit on Monday morning: “If publicly released, would significantly damage plaintiff’s standing and reputation in the community.” It “would be immediate, severe and irreversible”. Gaetz has long maintained his innocence.

The report comes after a more than three-year investigation and represents a volte-face following an earlier committee vote not to issue the results of an inquiry it began in the spring of 2021, when Gaetz was the subject of an FBI investigation.

Its leak came nearly a month after Gaetz withdrew his nomination to be Trump’s attorney general amid a fierce backlash, partly fuelled by speculation over what the report might contain.

The House inquiry – triggered after the justice department launched a separate criminal investigation into Gaetz that was later dropped without charge – was instigated to look into a broad range of accusations.

These included allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds for personal use and accepted gifts in breach of House rules.

Gaetz, who has denied all the allegations, in effect forestalled the report’s release by abruptly resigning from Congress last month after Trump nominated him as his attorney general in a decision that drew fierce bipartisan condemnation.

However, its contents became a subject of intense speculation as both Republican and Democratic senators voiced serious misgivings about Gaetz’s suitability to preside over America’s vast federal judicial and law enforcement structure.

Some critics accused Gaetz, a far-right representative from Florida, of resigning prematurely – long before the Senate had the chance to confirm or reject his nomination – with the purpose of preventing publication of the report, knowing its contents were likely to be damaging.

The ethics committee originally voted along party lines against releasing the document even as some senators demanded to see it in advance of Senate confirmation hearings that had been due to be held early next year. The Republican speaker, Mike Johnson – a close ally of Trump – vocally opposed releasing the report.

The change of heart is notable given that Gaetz later said he would not attempt to return to Congress after withdrawing his nomination.

Gaetz’s angrily condemned the committee’s revised decision – first reported by CNN – in a vitriolic social media post on Wednesday, pointing out that he was never criminally charged.

“The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes,” he wrote.

“I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me.

“Then, the very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued.

“Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”

He described his 30s – his age range when the alleged misconduct occurred – as a time of “working very hard – and playing hard too”.

“It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.”

But in a pointed jab at the House’s current ructions over a continuing resolution (CR) bill on public spending aimed at keeping the government open, he concluded: “At least I didn’t vote for CR’s that fuck over the country!”