Trump actually wanted to make him attorney general. But now the Ethics Committee of the US Congress is making serious allegations against the Republican. It's about drugs, prostitution and sex with minors.
According to a congressional investigation, US Republican Matt Gaetz paid for sex with a 17-year-old and regularly used illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. This emerges from a 37-page investigation report by the Congressional Ethics Committee.
$90,000 for sex and drugs
Accordingly, the Ethics Committee of the US House of Representatives sees sufficient evidence that Gaetz violated rules of conduct that prohibit “prostitution, rape, illegal drug use, accepting gifts and benefits, and obstruction of Congress.”
According to the committee, the now 42-year-old paid twelve women a total of more than 90,000 dollars (around 87,000 euros) between 2017 and 2020 “presumably in connection with sexual activities and/or drug use.” Several witnesses told US congressional investigators that they were paid for sex by Gaetz and a friend at various events.
Sex with a minor – a form of rape
The most serious allegation concerns a party in his home state of Florida in 2017. Gaetz – then 35 years old – is said to have had paid sex with a 17-year-old, among other women.
According to the report, there is no clear evidence that he was informed about the age of those affected. Under Florida law, this would still constitute the crime of “statutory rape,” which describes the sexual abuse of a minor – even if the sexual contact was consensual. Legally, it would be a form of rape because minors cannot legally consent to sexual acts.
The report goes on to say that Gaetz allegedly gained access to young women through a friend who had been sentenced to a long prison sentence for numerous offenses and who he contacted via a “sugar dating” platform. This platform serves to bring “older men and younger women” together for “mutually beneficial relationships” and has already been the subject of investigations in other cases. Prostitution is illegal in almost all US states.
Years of investigation Human trafficking
The US Department of Justice had been investigating Gaetz for years for, among other things, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation (“sex trafficking”). However, the investigation was closed without charges.
The Ethics Committee continued the investigation and concluded that while Gaetz transported women across state lines for commercial sex acts, there was no evidence that the acts involved minors or that the acts were carried out under duress, fraud or coercion.
Allegations have been known for years
Gaetz was initially nominated for the office of Attorney General by US President-elect Donald Trump, even though the allegations have been known for a long time. The 42-year-old resigned as a congressman after being nominated by Trump in November. Gaetz announced his resignation from the ministerial post in November.
The nomination of the ultra-right and staunch Trump supporter attracted strong criticism from day one. The reason for this was not only his inexperience but also the allegations that had been made against him for years.
Today he supposedly leads a different life
A few days ago, Gaetz denied any suspicion of having had sex with a minor or paying women for sex. “In my single days, I often sent money to women I was having relationships with,” he explained. It is “embarrassing, but not criminal” that when he was younger he “partied more, had more affairs with women, drank and smoked than I should.” Nowadays, however, he leads a different life.
The members of the Ethics Committee voted in secret to publish the previously secret investigation report. Gaetz tried in vain to prevent this with a lawsuit.
