Government ethics advocates on Monday voiced serious concerns over President-elect Donald Trump's judgment and transition process following the release of a congressional probe containing "substantial evidence" that, while in office, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida—Trump's erstwhile pick for U.S attorney general—committed statutory rape against a minor, bought and used illegal drugs, and obstructed the investigation against him.
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee "determined there is substantial evidence that Rep. 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" during his time in office, according to the panel's
37-page report.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, (D-Md.), the incoming ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee,
toldUSA Today on Monday that "it's a terribly damning report for any member of Congress and a humiliating one for someone who wanted to be considered as an attorney general of the United States."
The report says Gaetz made more than $90,000 in payments for what the committee believed were likely "sexual activity and/or illicit drug use," including $400 for sex with a 17-year-old girl who "had just completed her junior year of high school" at a July 15, 2017 party at the home of Christopher Dorworth, a former Republican state lawmaker in Florida who was once
named "legislator of the year" by the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. According to court filings viewed by Rolling Stone, Dorworth repeatedly sought the destruction of records related to the party.
The publication further states that the girl did not disclose her age to Gaetz—who was 35 at the time—nor did he ask. The girl also "acknowledged that she was under the influence of ecstasy during her sexual encounters" with Gaetz at the party and said she saw him "use cocaine" at the gathering. The panel found that Gaetz repeatedly used these and other illicit drugs.
The committee also found that Gaetz:
- Accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts;
- Arranged for his chief of staff to assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent;
- Knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the committee's investigation of his conduct; and
- Acted in a manner that reflects discreditably upon the House.
While the report states that all of the sexual encounters involving Gaetz were consensual, "at least one woman felt that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have 'impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.'"
One woman told the committee, "When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated."
The probe did not find that Gaetz broke federal sex trafficking laws, because although he "did cause the transportation of women across state lines for purposes of commercial sex, the committee did not find evidence that any of those women were under 18 at the time of travel, nor did the committee find sufficient evidence to conclude that the commercial sex acts were induced by force, fraud, or coercion."
Gaetz—who on Monday filed a
federal lawsuit seeking to block the report's release on the grounds that he is now a private citizen—has repeatedly denied having sex with a minor.
"These claims would be destroyed in court—which is why they were never made in any court against me," he
toldThe Hill on Monday ahead of the report's release—but after some of the findings were reported on late Sunday.
In a move widely seen as an attempt to prevent the public from ever seeing the report, Gaetz resigned from Congress on November 13, shortly after Trump announced him as the nominee for attorney general.
The Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee initially
said on November 20 that it would not release the report on Gaetz, which widespread criticism. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) vehemently objected to releasing the report, arguing that doing so would set a "terrible precedent."
The following day, Gaetz
said he would not accept Trump's nomination to head the U.S. Department of Justice. Trump subsequently tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the top DOJ post.
The report on Gaetz has renewed focus on Trump's fitness for office.
"Matt Gaetz is the man Donald Trump would have had as attorney general of the United States of America," Robert Weissman, co-president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a
statement. "Trump and his transition team are disregarding obvious red flags in announcing their planned Cabinet and top official nominees, seemingly relying on rabid loyalty to the incoming president as the primary selection criterion."
"The Gaetz report underscores the importance of the Senate independently and aggressively exercising its advise and consent function," Weissman added.
Lawyers for Good Government vice-chair Adam Cohen
wrote on social media, "I don't care if Gaetz was some strategic sacrificial lamb pick."
"Trump now expects his other nominees to sail through," he added. "We need to challenge them all."
