The bipartisan House Ethics Committee is expected to detail damning allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz. In a draft report obtained by ABC News, she writes that the commission found “substantial evidence” that he had sex with a 17-year-old in 2017 in violation of Florida’s statutory rape law and engaged in a broader pattern of targeting women for sex to pay.

The draft committee report also revealed evidence of illegal drug use, accepting improper gifts, granting special favors to personal employees and obstruction after Gaetz refused to comply with subpoenas and withheld evidence from the committee.

A woman testified before the committee that Gaetz had sex with her in 2017 when she was 17 and had just completed her freshman year of high school. The woman, identified only as “Victim A” in the draft report, told investigators she received $400 in cash from the then-congressman that evening, “which she understood to be payment for sex,” the report said .

Gaetz filed a lawsuit against the Ethics Commission on Monday to prevent the commission from releasing its report.

“This lawsuit challenges the Committee’s unconstitutional and ultra vires attempt to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations,” Gaetz’s filing states.

In the filing, Gaetz asks the court to issue a preliminary injunction and preliminary injunction to block publication of the report or other findings that he believes would cause “immediate and serious harm to his reputation and professional standing.” ” were .”

“The threatened publication of information deemed by a committee of Congress to be defamatory, relating to issues of sexual propriety and other alleged moral turpitude, constitutes irreparable harm that cannot be adequately remedied by monetary damages,” it said in the file.

Gaetz’s lawsuit highlights that he is now a public citizen and claims he did not receive “proper notice” of the report’s impending release.

“Following Plaintiff’s resignation from Congress, Defendants improperly continued their investigations and appear to have chosen to publicly release reports and/or investigative materials relating to Plaintiff without proper notice or disclosure to Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. After indications last week that the committee would release its report, Gaetz addressed X in a detailed post, writing, among other things, that when he was single, he “often sent money” to women he dated, and that he “never had sexual contact with anyone underage.” 18.”

“It’s embarrassing, but not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now,” he posted. “I was never charged. I’ve never been sued. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that, as a former member of the panel, I cannot discuss or refute.”

The Justice Department declined to charge him last year after years of investigating similar allegations.

Last month, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Gaetz as attorney general in the new administration, and Gaetz resigned his congressional seat shortly thereafter. But Gaetz subsequently withdrew his name from consideration, saying his confirmation process was “unfairly becoming a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.”

The Ethics Commission was in the final stages of its investigation into Gaetz when Trump appointed him as attorney general. The committee generally stops investigating members when they leave office, but Gaetz’s resignation sparked a heated debate on Capitol Hill over whether the panel should release its report to allow the Senate to accept its role in the review presidential nominations.

The committee initially voted against releasing the report before changing course, sources said.