House Panel Releases Its Matt Gaetz Report

Former congressman filed suit to stop the release, even after leaks were published
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 23, 2024 9:06 AM CST
Updated Dec 23, 2024 10:29 AM CST
Matt Gaetz Files Last-Minute Suit to Block Report's Release
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., attends the cocktail hour of New York Young Republican Club's annual gala at Cipriani Wall Street, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New York.   (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
UPDATE Dec 23, 2024 10:29 AM CST

Matt Gaetz's efforts to block the House ethics panel from releasing its report about him have failed. The panel on Monday made the 42-page report about the former congressman public here. As the Washington Post reports, it found "substantial evidence" that Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, regularly paid for sex with multiple women, used illicit drugs, and violated House rules on the acceptance of free lodging and transportation.

Dec 23, 2024 9:06 AM CST

Matt Gaetz on Monday filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the release of the House ethics report about his behavior, reports the Hill. Even if his request for an emergency order succeeds, however, it may not matter much: Multiple outlets including CBS News, CNN, and the New York Times already have gone public with leaked drafts of the report. The panel concluded that the former Florida congressman violated state and sexual misconduct laws, writing:

  • "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."

All in all, the panel found that Gaetz "has acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House," including having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a drug-fueled party in 2017. The teen told the panel that she did not tell Gaetz she was under 18. The committee did not, however, find evidence of sex trafficking:

  • "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," it wrote.
Gaetz acknowledged last week that while his behavior several years ago may have been "embarrassing," it was not criminal. (More Matt Gaetz stories.)

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