House Ethics Committee to release report on alleged misconduct by Matt Gaetz

The House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz and will soon make public the findings of its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds.

The report will be released before the end of this session of Congress, CNN reported, which puts the timeline for release as early as Thursday when lawmakers are slated for their final votes of the year before leaving Washington.

Tom Rust, a panel spokesperson, refused to confirm CNN’s reporting.

The ethics investigation into Mr. Gaetz began in 2021 over allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl, used illegal drugs, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and accepted a bribe, improper gratuity or impermissible gift.

That inquiry took a backseat when the Justice Department opened a sex trafficking probe that lasted two years and concluded with no charges against the Florida lawmaker.

The panel’s investigation continued after the Justice Department’s prober ended, this time looking into some of those charges, including underage sex and graft, plus new ones of obstructing government investigations.

Last month, the panel could not come to a consensus on whether to release the report after Mr. Gaetz resigned from Congress after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be attorney general.

The resignation ended the Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction over Mr. Gaetz, who withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general amid sizable opposition to his nomination from Senate Republicans.

Republican leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, argued against releasing the report, citing precedent against releasing reports about ex-lawmakers.

In a lengthy post on social media, Mr. Gaetz blasted the panel’s decision to release its findings, arguing that the Justice Department spent years reviewing allegations against him and was “charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED.”

Mr. Gaetz said that he would often send “funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked,” but that he “NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18” and that any such claim “would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court.”

“My 30s were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too,” he said. “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.”

Indeed, the former lawmaker is set to host a news show on One America News Network to mark the beginning of his post-political career.

Mr. Gaetz’s political action committee, the Florida Firebrand PAC, also sent out a fundraising email asking for $25 donations to help him “defend myself and clear my name once and for all.”

He also took a shot at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who he helped oust last year, accusing him of convincing his “traitor allies to secretly vote to release the sham witch-hunt ethics committee report to smear my name right before Christmas!”

The panel’s decision to release the report follows pressure from House Democrats to release the report. Rep. Sean Casten, one of the two Democrats behind the effort, welcomed the turn of events.

“I’m glad to see reports that the House Ethics Committee will rise above this partisanship and release the Gaetz Report,” Mr. Casten, Illinois Democrat, said. “Resigning from Congress should not allow you to avoid accountability for allegations of serious misconduct.”