In a report released today, the House Ethics Committee says it found "substantial evidence" that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R–Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump's first pick for attorney general, paid women thousands of dollars for sex, used illegal drugs, committed statutory rape, and accepted gifts that violated the chamber's rules. Gaetz concedes that he "probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life" and that he gave money to women he "dated." But he insists that he never did anything illegal, never exchanged money for sex, and never had sex with an underage girl.
Gaetz resigned his seat in Congress when Trump announced his nomination, which he evidently hoped would prevent the release of the ethics report because it meant the committee no longer had any jurisdiction over him. But the widely reported sex and drug allegations were a key factor in sinking his nomination. He withdrew his name just eight days after Trump's announcement, saying he did not want to be "a distraction [from] the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."
