Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday shared a note he reportedly received from President-elect Donald Trump, posting a photo of the message online after the House Ethics Committee said it found evidence that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use during his time in Florida. Congress.
The image — shared on X, formerly Twitter, a printout of a November article about allegations was central to the report, which was made public this week. Published by conservative outlet The Federalistthe article had questioned the credibility of people who spoke out against Gaetz.
At the top of the print is a handwritten message addressed to Gaetz: “Very unfair!”
“I got a great note from President Trump!” the former Florida representative wrote next to the image. It was not clear when the photo was taken.
This comes after the House reportreleased earlier Monday, accused Gaetz of violating state and federal laws and said it found “substantial evidence” against him. It alleged that he had paid tens of thousands of dollars to women “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use”, claiming that he had used or possessed illegal substances such as cocaine and ecstasy. It was further alleged that he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017.
The House Ethics Committee suggested that Gaetz “violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report said.
However, the report did not say that Gaetz had violated federal sex trafficking laws. The Justice Department had previously launched a sex trafficking investigation against Gaetz, but the investigation ended last year without charges being filed.
The House Ethics Committee wrote that it heard from “more than half a dozen witnesses who attended parties, events and trips with Representative Gaetz between 2017 and 2020,” including an aide named Joel Greenberg. Greenberg is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking, as part of a deal with prosecutors in 2021.
Greenberg was among the witnesses deemed “unreliable” by the Federalist article on Monday’s Gaetz photo, as the DOJ reportedly had concerned that he would not be credible to a jury.
Gaetz, who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, similarly questioned the credibility of those who spoke to officials about his behavior.
In one after regarding I haven’t had a chance to ever confront any accusers. I have never been charged. I have never been charged.”
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He said he “often sent money to women” he dated, but added that he “NEVER had sexual contact with anyone under 18.”
“My thirties were an era of very hard work – and also hard play,” he wrote. “It’s embarrassing, but not criminal, that I’ve probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in my life. I live a different life now.”
Gaetz resigned from Congress in November after being appointed by Trump as the next attorney general, but ultimately withdrew his bid for the post over concerns about the House investigation into him. The then House Ethics Committee rejected to release its findings but reversed that decision earlier this month, making way for the report’s publication.