The House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz solicited prostitutes, used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy and may have violated Florida’s statutory rape law while he was a member of Congress, according to a long-awaited report released Monday.
The committee interviewed a witness who said she had sex with Gaetz twice at a party in Florida while she was still 17, and multiple witnesses corroborated the account, according to the report.
“The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.
