Matt Gaetz: Ex-Trump attorney general pick paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, US House report says

Matt Gaetz, who was once nominated by Donald Trump to be the US attorney general, allegedly engaged in sexual activities with women for payment, which included a 17-year-old girl, and reportedly used drugs during his time as a member of Congress, according to a committee's findings.

The report from the House Ethics Committee found strong proof that the former congressman from Florida broke House regulations, as well as state and federal laws. These violations include engaging in prostitution, committing statutory rape, using illegal drugs, and obstructing Congress.

The committee charged the 42-year-old with accepting luxurious travel gifts that surpassed the allowed limits, specifically citing a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.

The House of Representatives committee stated: "Between 2017 and 2020, Representative Gaetz reportedly made significant payments to women, which the Committee believes were probably related to sexual activities and/or drug use."

The Republican, who claims he hasn't done anything wrong, tried to get a court to stop the committee from publishing its report that outlines the findings of its investigation.

The complaint claimed that the committee was making an "unconstitutional" effort to assert authority over a private individual by threatening to publish an investigative report that could include damaging accusations, which goes against the committee's own regulations.

Last month, Mr. Gaetz, who is a supporter of Trump, decided to remove himself from the running for the position of the next US attorney general, the highest legal position in the country.

Mr. Gaetz stated that his nomination was "unjustly turning into a distraction" during the process of Mr. Trump’s administration moving into the White House.

The Republican from Florida had come under fire for past accusations of sex trafficking, which were looked into by the department that the president-elect had chosen him to oversee.

Mr. Gaetz won re-election to the House of Representatives in November this year, but he stepped down following Mr. Trump's appointment of him as attorney general.

The 37-page report from the House stated that between 2017 and 2020, Representative Gaetz frequently compensated women for participating in sexual activities with him.

In 2017, Representative Gaetz was involved in a sexual encounter with a 17-year-old girl. Between 2017 and 2019, he reportedly used or had illegal substances, such as cocaine and ecstasy, on several occasions.

'Engaging in sexual activity with a 17-year-old female'

The ethics committee heard evidence that in 2017, Mr. Gaetz had sexual relations with a girl who was 17 years old at the time, referred to in the report as Victim A.

Victim A remembered that on that night, she got $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz, and she thought it was for sexual services.

Victim A stated that she didn't tell Representative Gaetz she was a minor at the time, nor did he inquire about her age.

The committee found no proof suggesting that Mr. Gaetz knew she was a minor when they had sexual relations.

The report determined that the meeting likely broke Florida's laws regarding statutory rape since he was 35 years old at that time.

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Mr. Gaetz faced a three-year investigation by the Justice Department regarding accusations of sex trafficking, but ultimately, no criminal charges were filed against him.

The ethics committee stated that there wasn't sufficient proof to show that Mr. Gaetz broke the federal law on sex trafficking.

Every woman who gave testimony stated that their sexual interactions with Mr. Gaetz were agreed upon by both parties.

One woman shared with the committee that the presence of drugs at the gatherings and events they participated in might have affected their ability to truly understand what was happening or to give full consent.

One woman shared with the committee, "Reflecting on specific moments, I sense a feeling of violation."