Donald Trump's first pick for attorney general paid a 17-year-old girl and other women for sex and took drugs during his time as a Congressman, a report has claimed. The House Ethics Committee report said it had found "substantial evidence" that the former Republican Representative for Florida Matt Gaetz violated state and federal laws as well as House rules, accusing him of breaching rules around prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and obstruction of Congress. The committee also accused the 42-year-old of having accepted luxury gifts exceeding limits when he took a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.
Mr Gaetz denies any wrongdoing and previously sought a restraining order against the committee. On December 18, he took to X/Twitter to deny every having had sex with someone under 18 and that he had done things that were "embarrassing, though not criminal.".
The House committee said: "From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.". The House reported added: "From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him. In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.".
Mr Gaetz accused the committee of an "unconstitutional" attempt to "exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the committee's own rules.".
