Matt Gaetz

The House Ethics Committee released a report in December 2024 concluding there was substantial evidence that Matt Gaetz, while serving in Congress (2017–2024), engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and the acceptance of impermissible gifts. The committee found he regularly paid women for sex, including a 17-year-old girl in 2017, and possessed illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. Additionally, the report alleged Gaetz misused official resources by having staff assist a sexual partner with an expedited passport, accepted prohibited travel gifts for a 2018 Bahamas trip, and willfully obstructed the committee’s investigation. Gaetz consistently denied all allegations, labeling the process a smear campaign. A separate Department of Justice investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving Gaetz closed in 2023 without bringing charges. The Ethics Committee noted it found no evidence of federal sex trafficking violations or that sexual acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion. Gaetz resigned from Congress in November 2024 after being nominated for Attorney General, a position he subsequently withdrew from. Before the report’s publication, Gaetz unsuccessfully sued to block its release, arguing the committee lacked jurisdiction over a private citizen.