A House Ethics Committee report on Matt Gaetz, the former Republican congressman from Florida, found “substantial evidence” that he was involved in sex trafficking and paying for sex with minors, among other serious violations of state law and congressional rules.

The investigation concludes that Gaetz, Trump’s first nominee for attorney general, made payments totaling tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs on at least 20 separate occasions. The report also said that in 2017, Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex when he was 35, which would constitute statutory rape under Florida law.

“The Committee concluded that there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use, improper gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress ” wrote the Republican-led panel in the investigation.

According to the report, Gaetz used payment apps like Venmo and PayPal to transfer money directly to more than a dozen women during his time in Congress.

The committee found that between 2017 and 2020, Gaetz regularly used illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, and apparently set up a pseudonymous email account from his House office to purchase marijuana, in violation of both state law and also violates House of Representatives ethics rules.

The committee believes that Gaetz “knowingly and willfully” attempted to obstruct the investigation by, among other things, failing to comply with subpoenas, withholding evidence, providing misleading answers and making false public statements about “extensive documentary evidence.” he never actually submitted.

Investigators also highlighted a 2018 trip to the Bahamas during which 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 used Ecstasy during the Bahamas visit, which investigators said was a violation of House gift rules.

Gaetz’s legal team, meanwhile, is fighting hard to keep the report from coming to light, arguing in a new lawsuit Monday morning that “publication would cause significant harm to Plaintiff’s standing and reputation in the community.” It “would be immediate, serious and irreversible.” Gaetz has long maintained his innocence.

The report comes after more than three years of investigation and represents a reversal from an earlier vote by the committee not to release the results of an investigation launched in spring 2021, when Gaetz was the subject of an FBI investigation.

The leak came nearly a month after Gaetz withdrew his appointment as Trump’s attorney general amid intense backlash fueled in part by speculation about what the report might contain.

The House investigation — sparked after the Justice Department launched a separate criminal investigation into Gaetz that was later dropped without charges — was launched to investigate a wide range of allegations.

These included allegations that he committed sexual misconduct and used illegal drugs, shared inappropriate images in the House of Representatives, misused government identification documents, converted campaign funds for personal use and accepted gifts in violation of House rules.

Gaetz, who has denied all allegations, effectively pre-empted the report’s release by abruptly resigning from Congress last month after Trump appointed him his attorney general in a decision that drew fierce bipartisan condemnation.

But the contents became the subject of intense speculation as both Republican and Democratic senators expressed serious concerns 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 early – long before the Senate had a chance to confirm or reject his nomination – with the intention of preventing the release of the report, knowing that his content would likely be harmful.

The Ethics Committee originally voted along party lines against releasing the document, although some senators demanded to see it before Senate confirmation hearings, which were scheduled to take place early next year. Republican spokesman Mike Johnson – a close Trump ally – loudly opposed the release of the report.

Skip the newsletter advertising

after newsletter advertising

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

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

“The Biden/Garland Department of Justice has spent years investigating allegations that I committed various crimes,” he wrote.

“I was not accused of anything: COMPLETELY EXonerated. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people who investigated me hated me.

“Then the very ‘witnesses’ that the DOJ deemed unreliable were assembled by the House Ethics Committee to repeat their allegations, without cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys.” I have never had the opportunity to face any accusers. 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.”

He described his 30s – the age range in which the alleged misconduct occurred – as a time when he “worked very hard – and played hard too”.

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

But in a pointed swipe at the current turmoil in the House of Representatives over a continuing resolution (CR) bill on public spending aimed at keeping government open, he concluded: “At least I didn’t vote for CRs that ruin the country!”