Report by US ethics committee Matt Gaetz allegedly paid for sex with a minor

Donald Trump wanted him to be Attorney General: the Ethics Committee of the US House of Representatives has now published a detailed report on Matt Gaetz. He is alleged to have regularly paid women for sex, including a 17-year-old.

DPA

23.12.2024, 17:46

dpa

The Ethics Committee of the US House of Representatives has published a detailed report on former member of Congress Matt Gaetz. In it, the committee accuses former Republican congressman Gaetz of regularly paying women for sex, including a 17-year-old girl. He also used illegal drugs while he was a member of Congress.

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The 37-page report provides details of sex parties and vacations in which the 42-year-old is alleged to have participated as a congressman from the US state of Florida. The committee came to the conclusion that Gaetz had violated numerous state laws in connection with sexual misconduct.

All five Democratic members of the ethics committee and at least one member of the Republican Party voted in favor of publishing the investigation report. There had previously been opposition to this among Republicans, including from House of Representatives Chairman Mike Johnson. It is extremely unusual for such a report on a former congressman to be published after his resignation.

The years-long investigation into Gaetz gained momentum after future US President Donald Trump nominated him as Attorney General. After Gaetz declined the nomination, members of the Democratic Party continued to campaign for the findings of the investigation to be made public.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He filed a lawsuit on Monday to prevent the report from being published. The report contains "untrue and defamatory information" that would "significantly damage" his reputation, Gaetz argued.