Matt Gaetz ‘regularly’ paid women for sex, including a minor, US Congress report says

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz, whom Donald Trump chose as his nominee for U.S. attorney general before he was forced to withdraw tainted by scandal, “regularly” paid women in exchange for sex, including a minor under the age of 17, between 2017 and 2020 when he was a member of the House of Representatives for the State of Florida. This is the conclusion of a report by the Congressional Committee on Ethics made public on December 23, which also accuses Gaetz of violating “House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress [in its investigations].”

Gaetz, one of Washington’s most controversial politicians, denies the allegations. He resigned from his post shortly before being appointed by Trump, hoping the report would not be made public because, he argued, the committee has no jurisdiction over former members. On Monday morning, Gaetz tried unsuccessfully to stop the report from being released. He later tweeted on X: “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t “charged” for sex is now prostitution?!? 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.” In subsequent messages, Gaetz extracts “testimony from one of the alleged ‘prostitutes,’” who denies having received money from him.

The 37-page document is the result of a bipartisan investigation that has lasted nearly five years. Its release was made possible after at least one Republican joined the five Democrats on the committee in a secret vote held in early December. The Republican Party, despite Gaetz not being one of its most popular members, was opposed to the report being published, with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the forefront. Johnson also had a problem with publishing the findings about a former member of Congress, something that is highly unusual but has some precedents.

The report contains dozens of pages of evidence, including text messages and financial records, travel receipts, checks, and online payments between several of the people involved. They show Gaetz, 42, inviting various women to events, on getaways to the Bahamas, or to parties.

The committee, however, has found no evidence of the most serious charge: violating federal sex trafficking laws. “Although Representative Gaetz did cause the transportation of [these] 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,” the brief says.

Interviews and documents

The congressional inquiry was put on hold while the Justice Department conducted its own investigation. In February, after a year of work on the case, no charges were filed and the House committee took up the matter again. The report is the result of more than a dozen interviews and a review of nearly 14,000 documents.

The report also tells the story of Gaetz’s friendship with Joel Greenberg, a Florida tax inspector. They met in 2017, shortly after Gaetz was sworn in at the Capitol. “Mr. Greenberg and Representative Gaetz frequently attended parties and other gatherings with young women in attendance. Many of those women were initially contacted by Mr. Greenberg via the website SeekingArrangement.com (now Seeking.com), and Mr. Greenberg subsequently introduced the women to Representative Gaetz,” it reads. That website, the committee writes, is dedicated to connecting mostly older men and young women looking for “mutually beneficial relationships.” “The website was generally understood by many of the women interviewed by the Committee to involve, at minimum, an exchange of companionship for money,” the report says.

Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. Greenberg also admitted to introducing her to other “adult men.”

Gaetz’s future is uncertain. Years ago, a report like the one released Monday would have meant his political demise, but in these times of fake news, and especially within the rules of the MAGA universe, it is impossible to say if his career is over.

On Sunday, Gaetz hinted at a Trumpist conclave held in Phoenix, Arizona, where the president-elect was the star speaker, that he was considering running for the seat vacated by Marco Rubio in the Florida Senate. Rubio is the new administration’s pick for Secretary of State.

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