Hours after the publication of a bombshell report revealing “substantial evidence” that Matt Gaetz paid tens of thousands of dollars for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, the former congressman issued a fundraising plea through his recently launched political action committee.
Gaetz — who was Donald Trump’s first pick for U.S. attorney general — is accused of violating federal and state laws against statutory rape, prostitution, illicit drug use and abusing the power of his office.
The results of a years-long House Ethics Committee investigation is a “sham witch hunt — just like the ones they conducted against President Trump,” Gaetz said in an email through his Florida Firebrand PAC Monday.
“I need your help. Can you chip in any amount before midnight?” the message asked.
“I need your help,” the message continued. “I’ve fought for you in Congress for eight years against the worst of the Radical Left and Uniparty. Now, they’re seeking their revenge. Can you chip in anything you can spare before midnight to help me defend myself?”
The former representative from Florida resigned from Congress last month after Trump announced his intention to nominate Gaetz for the top job at the Department of Justice.
Facing mounting scrutiny over allegations at the center of the ethics committee probe, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, then announced a new role as a host at right-wing outlet One America News Network.
Gaetz has denied wrongdoing, and has characterized the witnesses who testified against him in the committee probe and a parallel federal investigation as not credible.
“I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued,” he wrote in his fundraising message. “Instead, House Ethics posted a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”
The ethics committee’s report details Gaetz’s alleged conduct beginning shortly after he was sworn into the House, including a sexual encounter with a high school student in 2017 when he was 35 years old.
He denied ever having “sexual contact” with someone under 18 years old, and he repeated his statement that his 30s “were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too.”
“It’s embarrassing, though not criminal. I live a different life now,” he added.
Through the PAC, Gaetz “hopes to keep Florida Red while supporting President Trump’s mission to Make America Great Again,” according to a description on the PAC’s website and in fundraising messages.
“Matt is standing strong for Florida’s values and America’s future,” the description says. “As Chairman of the Florida Firebrand PAC, Matt will fight alongside President Trump to protect the values that make this nation great.”
