The House Ethics Committee on Monday (December 23, 2024) accused Matt Gaetz of “regularly” paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and purchasing and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that helped sink his nomination for attorney general.

The 37-page report by the bipartisan panel includes explicit details of sex-filled parties and vacations that Gaetz, now 42, took part in from 2017 to 2020 while representing Florida’s western panhandle.

Congressional investigators concluded that Gaetz violated multiple state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office, though not federal sex trafficking laws. They also found that Gaetz “knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct” the committee’s work.

“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states.

Ahead of the report’s release Gaetz denied any wrongdoing and criticized the committee’s process.

“Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” he posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.”

Gaetz, a Republican first elected in 2017, spent the majority of his time in Washington enmeshed in scandals that ultimately derailed his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump as attorney general. His political future is uncertain, although Gaetz has indicated he would be interested in running for the open Senate seat in Florida.

Lawmakers paint a damning portrait of Gaetz’s conduct, using dozens of pages of exhibits, including text messages and financial records, travel receipts, checks and online payments, to document a party- and drug-fueled lifestyle. The committee said it compiled the evidence after issuing 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony and contacting more than two dozen witnesses.

In addition to soliciting prostitution, the Ethics Committee report states that Gaetz “accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts.”

That same year, investigators say Gaetz arranged for his chief of staff to obtain a passport for a woman he was sexually involved with, falsely telling the State Department that she was his constituent.

In some of the text exchanges, Gaetz appears to be inviting various women to events, getaways or parties, and arranging airplane travel and lodging. At one point he asks one woman if she has a “cute black dress” to wear. There are also discussions of shipping goods.

One of the exhibits is a text exchange that appears to be between two of the women concerned about their cash flow and payments. In another, a person asks Gaetz for help to pay an educational expense.

At least one Republican joined all five Democrats on the Ethics Committee earlier this month in voting to release the report about their former colleague despite initial opposition from GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to publishing findings about a former member of Congress.

While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare.

Mounting a last-ditch effort to halt the publication of the report, Gaetz filed a lawsuit Monday asking a court to intervene, citing what he called “untruthful and defamatory information” that would “significantly damage” his “standing and reputation in the community.” Gaetz’s complaint argues he’s no longer under the committee’s jurisdiction since he resigned from Congress.

“The Committee’s position that it may nonetheless publish potentially defamatory findings about a private citizen over whom it claims no jurisdiction represents an unprecedented expansion of Congressional power that threatens fundamental constitutional rights and established procedural protections,” Gaetz’s lawyers wrote in their request for a temporary restraining order.

The often secretive, bipartisan panel has investigated claims against Gaetz since 2021. But its work became more urgent last month when Trump picked him shortly after Election Day as his first choice to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Gaetz resigned from Congress that same day, putting him outside the purview of the Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction.

But Democrats had pressed to make the report public even after Gaetz was no longer a member and had withdrawn as Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department. A vote on the House floor this month to force the report’s release failed; all but one Republican voted against it.

The committee detailed its start-and-stop investigation over the past several years, which was halted for a time as the Justice Department conducted its own probe of Gaetz. Federal prosecutors never brought a case against him.

Lawmakers said they asked the Justice Department for information about its probe, but the agency refused to hand over information, saying it doesn’t disclose information about investigations that don’t result in charges.

The committee then subpoenaed the Justice Department for records, but after a back-and-forth between Justice Department officials and the committee, the department only handed over “publicly reported information about the testimony of a deceased individual,” according to the report.

“To date, DOJ has provided no meaningful evidence or information to the Committee or cited any lawful basis for its responses,” the committee said.

In releasing the report, the panel added that Gaetz was also “uncooperative” throughout the probe. He provided “minimal documentation” in response to the committee’s requests, it said. “He also did not agree to a voluntary interview.”

Washington:

US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Pam Bondi, a staunch ally who helped defend the ex-leader against impeachment, as US attorney general on Thursday following firebrand Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from the running.

Gaetz’s retreat amid sexual misconduct allegations signaled limits to Trump’s power, even as the president-elect prepares to retake the White House with his Republican Party also in control of both chambers of Congress.

The nomination of Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who served as a surrogate during the 2024 campaign and pushed to de-legitimize vote counting in swing state Pennsylvania in 2020, could be seen as a useful tool for Trump in his attempt to settle personal grievances.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network in announcing Bondi’s nomination.

Bondi, 59, was a member of Trump’s legal team during his first Senate impeachment trial, in which he was alleged to have pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using aid as leverage, to hand over political dirt on Biden.

“Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again,” Trump wrote, adding that she is “smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter.”

Trump has made several eye-catching selections for top roles, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and billionaire Elon Musk to head a government cost-cutting unit.

The exit of Gaetz, 42, was the first setback for Trump and Vice-president elect JD Vance in placing key allies in top positions, but his confirmation by the Senate was widely seen as doomed due to lack of support from fellow Republicans.

Ethics probe

A congressional panel has been investigating alleged illegal activity by Gaetz, including sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl — which he denies — as well as drug use and misappropriating campaign funds.

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday,” Gaetz said on X.

“While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”

Gaetz was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and won reelection recently, but he resigned as a congressman shortly after Trump picked him to be attorney general.

“Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do,” Trump said in response to his withdrawal.

The ethics probe into Gaetz, a deeply polarizing Florida congressman, was effectively ended after he resigned from the House.

Gaetz is known as a political disruptor who earned the enmity of some House colleagues, including by engineering the ouster of fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker last year.

The latest transition upheaval ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20 came as new lurid details emerged about defense secretary nominee Hegseth.

He was investigated for sexual assault after a complaint from an unnamed woman at a 2017 conference in California.

The New York Times reported details from the police investigation, which was closed without Hegseth being charged.

The married woman told officers that her memory of the episode was hazy and thought her drink might have been spiked, while Hegseth said the encounter was consensual.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Donald Trump did not lose a minute to assemble his new cabinet ministers, but that has received quite extreme reactions. The structure of Trump 2.0 White House has left leaders “stunned” and “appalled”, with some of his choices even rubbing Republicans the wrong way. George Conway, a lawyer and activist said that Trump’s nominations, “would arguably have been the worst in American history”.

Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence

Photo Credit: Reuters

Trump’s decision to nominate Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence has raised concerns among national security experts. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, lacks formal intelligence experience, sparking worries about her ability to lead the intelligence community.

Her background is marked by a significant shift in political allegiance, having run for president in the Democratic primaries in 2020, only to leave the party in 2022 and endorse Trump. This drastic change has led some to question her suitability for the role.

Gabbard’s experience includes serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security for two years, but she has never held a senior government position or worked directly in intelligence. Her anti-interventionist stance, advocating for US non-involvement in global conflicts, has also been at odds with the US Intelligence Community’s decisions.

The nomination has been met with scepticism from some members of Congress, including Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, who expressed her dismay on social media. 

“Not only is [Gabbard] ill-prepared and unqualified, but she traffics in conspiracy theories and cosies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin,” Spanberg said.

Jamie Metzl, a former Clinton administration official said, “If you are part of a foreign government, even an allied government, are you really going to want to share your most important intelligence with the United States government, recognizing that there are people who are at central nodes in our government who are so sympathetic to our adversaries?” he asked. “It’s really concerning.”

With Gabbard’s unconventional background and shifting political loyalties, concerns about her ability to effectively lead the intelligence community remain.

Matt Gaetz – Attorney General

Photo Credit: Reuters

Matt Gaetz, a U.S. congressman from Florida since 2017, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for attorney general, sparking controversy due to pending allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. 

Gaetz resigned from his House seat just hours after Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, amid a scheduled House Ethics Committee vote on releasing the results of an extensive investigation into these allegations, which Gaetz denies.

As attorney general, Gaetz would oversee the Justice Department, which has been investigating him for years on sex trafficking and obstruction of justice allegations. 

Notably, Gaetz was informed last year that he wouldn’t face charges, but the House ethics investigation remains ongoing.

The nomination caught fellow Republicans off guard, with CNN reporting an “audible gasp” from House Republicans during a closed-door meeting when the news broke.

“I was shocked at the nomination,” Senator Susan Collins said when she first heard about the announcement.

Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said, “Do you think he’s a serious candidate? Not as far as I’m concerned.”

Gaetz’s appointment has raised concerns, given the serious allegations against him and the significant role of the attorney general in leading the Justice Department. Trump’s decision to nominate Gaetz highlights the contentious nature of his cabinet selections following his presidential election victory against Democrat Kamala Harris.

Robert F Kennedy Jr – Health Secretary

Photo Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services has sparked widespread criticism due to Kennedy’s history of promoting debunked health-related conspiracy theories, particularly his anti-vaccine stance. 

As a member of one of America’s most prominent political families, being the son of late Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, his views have drawn significant attention.

He is anti-vaccination and has claimed vaccines are linked to autism, despite evidence disproving this claim. He advocates for removing fluoride from public drinking water, contrary to CDC recommendations that highlight its benefits in preventing cavities and promoting oral health. 

He also supports the consumption of raw milk and the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, both of which have been disputed by health experts. Kennedy has also made unusual claims about his own health, including having a brain worm which “ate a portion of it and then died”.

Public Citizen, a non-profit, progressive consumer rights advocacy group, said, “Robert F Kennedy Jr is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the department of health and human services (HHS), let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.”

These views have raised concerns about Kennedy’s potential impact on the nation’s health policies, especially considering his plans to tackle America’s substance abuse crisis, an issue he has personal experience with, as he was addicted to heroin for 14 years during his youth.

Pete Hegseth – Defense Secretary

Photo Credit: X account of @PeteHegseth

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host, as his Secretary of Defense, despite Hegseth’s past criticism of Trump’s foreign policy and military stances during the 2016 campaign. Hegseth had called Trump’s foreign policy views “shallow” but later became a strong supporter.

Hegseth’s nomination is notable, given his unconventional background for the role. He has served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, earning several awards, including the Bronze Star Medal. 

However, his views on certain issues may raise concerns. For instance, Hegseth opposes women serving in combat roles, arguing it lowers military standards and effectiveness. “Women shouldn’t be in combat at all. They’re life-givers, not life-takers. I know a lot of wonderful soldiers, female soldiers, who have served, who are great. But they shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion,” he told Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator in an interview.

He supports troops accused or convicted of war crimes and has advocated for their pardon. He also wants to fire senior officers who support “woke policies”.

Given these stances, Hegseth may face a challenging confirmation process in the Senate. His nomination has already sparked controversy, highlighting the need for careful consideration of his qualifications and views. 

“He is the least qualified person in history of the job,” said a former defence official from Trump’s administration.

As a Fox News personality, Hegseth has been vocal about his opinions, but as Secretary of Defense, his decisions would have far-reaching implications for national security.
 

Washington:

A far-right Republican lawmaker launched a bid on Monday to oust US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his post, reigniting an intra-party battle between traditional conservatives and firebrand supporters of ex-president Donald Trump.

Matt Gaetz, a representative from Florida, entered his resolution from the House floor “declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.”

The resolution, which requires a majority to pass, will not be voted on immediately.

Gaetz is a leading figure within the small group of far-right Republican legislators who brought the government to the brink of shutdown with their refusal to adopt fresh federal funding without deep spending cuts.

The group also opposes sending additional support to Ukraine, saying the money would be better spent in the United States on combatting illegal immigration.

The hardliners hold a de facto veto over legislation in the House, given Republicans’ narrow victory in the midterm elections last November.

After the chamber passed a last-minute measure on Saturday to extend funding — at current levels and without new Ukraine aid —  Gaetz said he would move to oust McCarthy.

“I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid,” Gaetz told CNN on Sunday.

In order to gain the speaker’s gavel in January, McCarthy was forced to make concessions to the far-right bloc, including a rule change that allows one member to file a such a “motion to vacate.”

The timeline for next steps on Gaetz’s resolution is variable, and it is not yet clear if Democrats would come to McCarthy’s aid.

Gaetz said on Sunday he believed he had enough Republican support to oust McCarthy.

“The only way Kevin McCarthy is speaker of the House at the end of this coming week is if Democrats bail him out,” Gaetz told CNN.

US President Joe Biden has lambasted both McCarthy and the hardliners for failing to live up to an agreement forged around a debt crisis months ago that was meant to avoid a damaging shutdown fight — and for stripping out support for Ukraine.

“Stop playing games, get this done,” Biden said during a press conference on Sunday, adding that he was “sick and tired of the brinksmanship, and so are the American people.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)