The US House Ethics Committee has found that former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz violated state laws by paying a 17-year-old girl for sex and purchasing drugs illegally, CBS News reported on Monday, citing a final draft of the panel’s report.
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Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, resigned from the House of Representatives last month after he was selected by president-elect Donald Trump to be attorney general. He withdrew from consideration in the face of an uphill confirmation battle in the Senate.
Gaetz was not immediately for comment.
The report, which is expected to be released on Monday, found that Gaetz paid more than US$90,000 to 12 different women, payments the Ethics panel determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and drug use, CBS reported.
The Ethics panel received testimony that Gaetz had sex twice with a 17-year-old girl, described in the report as “Victim A,” at a party in 2017, CBS reported.
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“Victim A recalled receiving US$400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex,” CBS quoted the report as saying. “Victim A said that she did not tell Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”
