BREAKING: Here Are The Sordid Allegations Against Matt Gaetz In Newly Released House Ethics Report

Matt Gaetz has seen his reputation attacked relentlessly by critics on the left and even a few foes within his own party, and now the former Republican U.S. congressman has to deal with the contents of a House Ethics Committee report that he’d attempted to keep sealed.

Prior to the release of the 37-page report, Gaetz reiterated his proclamation of innocence:

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… pic.twitter.com/HzWODpBBB9

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024

ANOTHER ONE of the ethics witnesses who was an alleged “prostitute” claims she was indeed NOT when actually pressed in a deposition.

This won’t be in the “ethics” report because of course. pic.twitter.com/SpZDPitbRp

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024

MORE TESTIMONY you won’t see in the “ethics” report.

This is clearly not prostitution under any conceivable definition.

Which is why I was never charged with a crime! pic.twitter.com/PpsVpeR3Sp

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024

“I never charged anyone anything” pic.twitter.com/UKsUriQLQa

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024

And despite the fact that Gaetz was never charged, the committee went forward with its plan to release a report filled with damning accusations, as Fox News reported:

The committee’s report stated that Gaetz “continuously sought to deflect, deter, or mislead the Committee in order to prevent his actions from being exposed.”

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The report alleges that despite Gaetz’s denials, he made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use” from 2017 to 2020.

In one alleged sexual encounter, Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old minor at a summer 2017 party, according to the committee’s report. The report concluded that the act violated Florida’s statutory rape law even though the girl, identified in the report as “Victim A,” said she never told Gaetz her age.

“The Committee received testimony that Victim A and Representative Gaetz had sex twice during the party, including at least once in the presence of other party attendees,” the draft report alleged.

Many Gaetz allies took to social media in his defense on Monday:

I have always looked up to @mattgaetz for being one of the most prominent fighters in the Republican Party. No opposition research disguised as an ethics report will change that. I stand with him and hope to see him continue his public service in the near future.

— Juan C. Porras (@JuanPorrasFL) December 23, 2024

Matt and Ginger Gaetz are two of the most honest, stand-up people I know. These smears on Matt are disgusting and he was already cleared of wrongdoing. Why are they so scared of him?! https://t.co/Z1eCkioBqa

— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) December 23, 2024

So let me get this straight, Matt Gaetz gets selected for Attorney General

– Vows to target Congress insider trading
– Calls Ukraine a money laundering operation

Magically has underage sexual assault ALLEGATIONS, not charges, publicly released BUT the Congress reps who used $17… pic.twitter.com/Dk3kdIEtyQ

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) December 23, 2024

Gaetz attempted to halt the report’s release by filing a last-minute lawsuit, as PBS reported:

On Monday, Gaetz filed a lawsuit seeking to block the report’s release, saying it contains “untruthful and defamatory information” that would “significantly damage” his “standing and reputation in the community.” Gaetz’s complaint argues he’s no longer under the committee’s jurisdiction since he resigned from Congress.

“The Committee’s position that it may nonetheless publish potentially defamatory findings about a private citizen over whom it claims no jurisdiction represents an unprecedented expansion of Congressional power that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” Gaetz’s lawyers wrote in their request for a temporary restraining order.

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Here’s some additional coverage of the developing story: