December 23rd 2024.
The US House Ethics Committee released a report on Monday regarding allegations against Congressman Matt Gaetz. The report accuses him of engaging in sexual activities and using illegal drugs while serving in Congress, which ultimately led to his failed nomination for attorney general. The 37-page document, put together by a bipartisan panel, detailed explicit details of parties and vacations that Gaetz participated in from 2017 to 2020.
According to the committee's findings, Gaetz violated multiple state laws related to sexual misconduct during his time in office. However, they did not find evidence of federal sex trafficking laws being broken. Additionally, they concluded that Gaetz intentionally tried to hinder the committee's investigation.
"The Committee has determined that there is substantial evidence of Representative Gaetz's violations of House Rules and other standards of conduct. These include acts of prostitution, statutory rape, drug use, gifts, favors, and obstruction of Congress," the report stated.
Gaetz, who has denied any wrongdoing, criticized the committee's process before the report was released. He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his frustration. "So now giving funds to someone you are dating, without them asking for it, and without them being charged for sex is considered prostitution?!?" he tweeted.
He also questioned the timing of the report, which was released on Christmas Eve, and expressed a desire to present evidence and challenge witnesses in a courtroom rather than through the committee's investigation.
In his four years in office, Gaetz was constantly embroiled in scandals, ultimately leading to his resignation from Congress last month. He had previously been considered a potential candidate for the open Senate seat in Florida, but his political future is now uncertain.
The committee's report included dozens of pages of evidence, such as text messages, financial records, travel receipts, and online payments. They also issued 29 subpoenas and contacted over two dozen witnesses to gather the information.
Among the allegations, the report stated that Gaetz had solicited prostitution and accepted gifts that exceeded the permissible amount, such as transportation and lodging for a trip to the Bahamas. In one instance, he arranged for a staff member to obtain a passport for a woman he was sexually involved with, falsely claiming she was his constituent.
Text exchanges between Gaetz and various women were also included in the report, showing him inviting them to events and arranging travel and lodging. In one conversation, he asked a woman if she had a "cute black dress" to wear. There were also discussions of shipping goods.
One exhibit in the report was a text exchange between two women discussing their cash flow and payments. Another showed a person asking Gaetz for financial assistance with an educational expense.
The report paints a damning picture of Gaetz's behavior and lifestyle, which was filled with parties and drug use. It is clear that his actions were not in line with the standards of conduct expected of a member of Congress.
The US House Ethics Committee made a shocking revelation on Monday, accusing Congressman Matt Gaetz of engaging in illegal activities such as paying for sex and using drugs. This conclusion came after a thorough four-year investigation into the Republican's actions while representing Florida's western Panhandle in Congress.
According to the 37-page report released by the bipartisan panel, Gaetz participated in numerous sex-filled parties and vacations from 2017 to 2020. The investigators found evidence that Gaetz had violated state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office, but not federal sex trafficking laws. They also discovered that Gaetz had intentionally obstructed and interfered with the committee's work.
The report clearly stated that Gaetz had broken House Rules and other standards of conduct by engaging in prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and accepting impermissible gifts and favors. This conduct is a clear violation of the law and the trust placed in him as a member of Congress.
Before the report was released, Gaetz had vehemently denied any wrongdoing and criticized the committee's process. He took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to express his frustration. In one of his posts, he questioned how giving money to someone he was dating could be considered prostitution.
Gaetz also highlighted the timing of the report's release, which was on Christmas Eve-Eve, and not in a courtroom where he would have the opportunity to present evidence and challenge witnesses. This further fueled his belief that the accusations were politically motivated.
Since his first election in 2017, Gaetz has been involved in numerous scandals, which ultimately led to his failed nomination for Attorney General by President-elect Donald Trump. Last month, Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress, leaving his political future uncertain. However, he has expressed interest in running for the open Senate seat in Florida.
The committee's report painted a disturbing picture of Gaetz's behavior, using various pieces of evidence such as text messages, financial records, and travel receipts. They also obtained testimonies from over two dozen witnesses and issued 29 subpoenas for documents. The evidence showed a pattern of a party and drug-fueled lifestyle that Gaetz had been leading.
Aside from soliciting prostitution, the report also revealed that Gaetz had accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging, that exceeded the permissible amounts. In 2018, he even arranged for a staffer to obtain a passport for a woman he was involved with, falsely claiming that she was his constituent.
Some of the text messages that were made public showed Gaetz inviting multiple women to events and arranging travel and lodging for them. In one exchange, he even asked if a woman had a cute black dress to wear. The evidence also included conversations about shipping goods and concerns about their financial transactions.
One of the most alarming findings was a text exchange between two women who were worried about their cash flow and payments. Another person had asked Gaetz for help in paying for an educational expense, further adding to the questionable nature of his actions.
Overall, the report by the US House Ethics Committee paints a damning picture of Gaetz's conduct while in office. It is a reminder that those in positions of power must be held accountable for their actions and must uphold the standards of conduct expected of them.
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