The Progressive American

The report, which was previously sealed, has finally been released

Matt Gaetz’s life just got a lot harder. On Monday, December 23rd, the House Ethics Committee finally released its report on the former Republican representative from Florida, alleging serious allegations against him.¹ One of the most damning was the accusation that Mr. Gaetz had sex with a minor.^{2 3} While Gaetz is out of the run for the Attorney General position, the recent report’s release is yet another hit to Gaetz’s career.

Examining the Allegations against Gaetz

Gaetz has been the subject of extensive misconduct allegations, including a now-dropped FBI investigation into alleged sex trafficking as well as alleged sex with a minor.⁴ These allegations, which dogged Gaetz’s reputation and career, sunk his bid for the Attorney General position, forcing the former Congressman to resign his position to avoid the ethics report being released.

As I noted in my previous examination of the allegations:

If Gaetz was involved with a minor, then he would be exposed to federal sex trafficking laws and would likely be expelled from the House and could even face criminal charges. However, with the resignation by Gaetz, the House is now struggling to determine whether or not they will release the report as originally planned.

This is especially pertinent now as The Washington Post reports that a woman testified to the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz paid her for sex and that she personally witnessed Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17 at the time. In addition, a second woman has come forward, also represented by the same lawyer, and testified that Gaetz had paid her for sex at drug-fueled parties. All of this is to say that Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz before he has ascended to office shows he either doesn’t mind the controversy or expects it to pass without much concern. ⁵

That impulsive behavior by the President-elect while unsurprising, may be backfiring, especially with some of the key findings in the report. Though whether or not conservative media outlets like One America News (OAN) will hold Gaetz accountable for his alleged activity remains unclear. They did just hire him as their newest anchor, after all.⁶

What the Report Says

While the report has been the source of extensive political fanfare, and controversy, it was remarkably to the point and clear with its allegations. For one, the report found that “During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions,” and that “…Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex
by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz.” ⁷

The report also noted that Gaetz likely violated Florida’s statutory rape laws, with Talking Points Memo’s Kate Riga explaining that:

The report, which was released despite objections from some members of the committee, found that “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.” 

These, the report said, included a 17-year old girl — a felony violation of statutory rape laws in Florida, whether or not Gaetz knew her age at the time, the report notes. 

The report paints a lurid picture of a high-rolling lifestyle where Gaetz, often in conjunction with Joel Greenberg — a former county tax collector in Florida who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for crimes including underage sex trafficking in 2022 — would spend heavily on drugs and “girls,” some of whom Greenberg allegedly found through SeekingArrangement.com, a sugar baby website.  ⁸

The combined mix of drug use and prostitution, which the committee confirmed further in this report, is not the only thing that the former Congressman is alleged to have done. The report also notes that:

“The Committee found substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz engaged in obstructive conduct with respect to the Committee’s investigation. Representative Gaetz pointed to evidence that would “exonerate” him yet failed to produce any such materials. Representative Gaetz continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed. ^{9 10}

The allegation of obstruction, which would not only demonstrate the appearance of guilt at minimum, also shows that Gaetz feared the political implications of this report. Despite Gaetz’s claims that he didn’t have a chance to challenge the allegations against him and his accusers, as he would in a court of law, the ethics committee noted that Gaetz had the opportunity to give his side of the story. Even as the committee sought explanations from Rep. Gaetz, the former Congressman “….refused to answer questions about his relationships with the women involved.” ¹¹

If Gaetz had any exculpatory evidence or any evidence to undermine the credibility of any of the witnesses in question, he would have provided it already to the committee. Instead, Gaetz has gone out of his way to suppress the report with a last minute lawsuit. ¹²

While it is unlikely that Gaetz will face any legal consequences, the fact of the matter remains that this report is very likely to tarnish and undermine any career that Gaetz wants to create for himself. Especially in a position of power. Nobody wants the man who ‘allegedly’ had sexual relations with a 17-year-old to be in their party, much less in a position of power. While he will still be making a decent living at OAN, his days in mainstream legislative and governmental work are finished.

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