Gaetz launches into self-defense as House ethics report looms

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Wednesday denied allegations that he engaged in sexual contact with a minor. He added that the U.S. Department of Justice—which Gaetz said was led by people who hated him—already investigated those very allegations and brought no charges against him. That decision effectively amounted to a full exoneration, Gaetz said.

His comments came Wednesday, just hours after CNN reported that the House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release a report cataloging its findings about the allegations against Gaetz. The committee is expected to publish the report after Congress wraps up its final votes for the term, CNN said. Gaetz argued it would be unfair for the committee to release the report online without first giving him the opportunity to debate or rebut its findings.

Did Gaetz have any specific responses to the report’s possible contents? Gaetz claimed that even though the DOJ hadn’t charged him with any wrongdoing, his opponents in Congress were still using the allegations against him. And witnesses who lacked credibility were paraded before lawmakers to repeat their claims, Gaetz said. Gaetz had not been allowed to cross-examine those witnesses and had not even been able to personally confront them, he said.

Gaetz admitted he likely womanized, drank, partied, and smoked too much before he was married. He also admitted that he sent money to numerous women he dated over the years—and some he didn’t date. At no point did he ever have sexual contact with anyone under the age of 18, he said.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how some evangelical leaders harbored concerns about Gaetz’s eligibility to serve as the U.S. attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump. Also read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about how the House Ethics Committee report into Gaetz was previously set to stay under wraps.