Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Wednesday that he had sent money to his girlfriends, and that he “probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have” when he was younger.
Gaetz, who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice as the next U.S. attorney general, made the comments on social media minutes after multiple news outlets reported that the House Ethics Committee would make public a report of its long-running probe into allegations the former Congressman engaged in sexual impropriety and drug use.
“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated − even some I never dated but who asked,” Gaetz wrote. “I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court − which is why no such claim was ever made in court.”
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“My 30’s were an era of working very hard – and playing hard too,” wrote Gaetz, now 42. “It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Gaetz for comment.
Reports of sex parties and payments
The Justice Department previously investigated Gaetz for potential sex trafficking but closed the inquiry without charges, his lawyers told USA TODAY in February 2023. Gaetz said in his Wednesday post on X that he had been fully exonerated.
Federal investigators established a web of payments among Gaetz and “dozens of friends and associates who are said to have taken part with him in drug-fueled sex parties,” according to a document obtained by The New York Times.
Among those who received money from Gaetz were two women who testified the Florida Republican hired them for sex, The Times reported on Nov. 20, citing the document and a lawyer for the two women. The lawyer said payments to the women ultimately totaled about $10,000, the news outlet reported.
The Washington Post and ABC News reported last month that a witness testified to the committee that she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old. USA TODAY did not independently verify the allegations.
House Ethics had report on payments unclear
Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump selected him as the next U.S. attorney general, and before the House Ethics committee had finalized its investigative report. Days later, House Republicans blocked the release of the ethics report. Gaetz then withdrew from consideration and did not seek to retain his congressional seat.
“I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers,” he wrote Wednesday on X. “I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body.”
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It was not known Wednesday how much detail the House will release about the report and accompanying documentation, including whether it will redact any parts of the report.
The New York Times first revealed the existence of the federal sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz’s conduct in 2021.