The Hill: Matt Gaetz Ethics Report Finds 'Substantial Evidence' of Statutory Rape, Drug Use & Law Violations

Source:The Hill with a look at former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (MAGA, Florida)

"The report accusing former republican congressman Matt Gaetz of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and receiving improper gifts was released today. The report found ‘substantial evidence’ of statutory rape, drug use. President Joe Biden commutes death row prisoners. Plus, accused UHC CEO killer Luigi Mangione plead not guilty today in a Manhattan courtroom." 

From The Hill

"The House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) paid a 17-year-old high school student for sex when he was 35, used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and obstructed Congress’s investigation into his conduct.

Those conclusions come in a highly anticipated report released Monday that capped the panel’s years-long, on-and-off investigation into the former Florida congressman.

The House Ethics Committee found “substantial evidence” that former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) paid a 17-year-old high school student for sex when he was 35, used illicit drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and obstructed Congress’s investigation into his conduct.

Those conclusions come in a highly anticipated report released Monday that capped the panel’s years-long, on-and-off investigation into the former Florida congressman.

“The committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report says.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied having sexual contact with a minor and other wrongdoing. Last week, in anticipation of the report’s release, Gaetz said he had engaged in “embarrassing, though not criminal” past behavior. 

On Monday, he filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the Ethics Committee from releasing the report.

“These claims would be destroyed in court — which is why they were never made in any court against me,” Gaetz told The Hill on Monday ahead of the report’s release, in reference to the Department of Justice (DOJ) declining to file charges after investigating Gaetz for similar matters." 

From The Hill

As I said last week on The New Democrat about my feelings about Matt Gaetz: 

"How much do you want to bet that if Matt Gaetz was never elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (which would've been his real public service to America... staying out of public office) that he would be some MAGA Bro in Florida, with his own podcast, going online and on air, probably drunk, smoking weed, slapping the asses and grabbing the breasts of the women who worked for him when they walked by to give him news updates, or whatever they gave him or wanted to tell him, and perhaps would go on Greg Gutfeld's show on FOX News, as an analyst, or something. I would take that bet. 

Matt Gaetz is a MAGO Bro, perhaps even a MAGA militant, who got elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Which is a serious job for serious people. (Despite all the nasty but credible rumors to the contrary) But he's no more serious as a person, then your average professional "reality TV star", who earns their living by getting into trouble and dumping drinks on people and getting into fights at nightclubs. 

So this is what happens when professional political celebrities like a Matt Gaetz, or perhaps in the future a Marjorie Taylor Greene, or Lauren Boebert, (whose already had her own legal issues and had to move out of her House district, just to barely get reelected again) get serious positions in government. These jobs blow up in the faces because they're simply not professional, mature, and responsible enough for them. They're the political version of late night or overnight talk show hosts, trying to make it in prime time, with their first opportunity. 

This part right here sounds very George Santos of Matt Gaetz: "Converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts,” according to an announcement by the panel last summer". 

As I said on my Threads page about an hour ago: "Just the fact that Matt Gaetz is admitting to "embarrassing behavior", says a lot. He's really worried about the House report going public."  

From The New Democrat

To paraphrase The Great George Carlin: we get the politician and "public servants" that we deserve. Meaning, in any democracy, we get the people got the most votes in the election that they ran in. And I'm sure former Representative Matt Gatez did a lot of bad things here. My post about this last week about this story makes it very clear how I feel about this man. 

But at the end of the day: 

this man even will all the baggage and the fact that Donald Trump's own DOJ had this man under investigation for the exact same issues back in 2018 the House Ethics Committee investigated him for, including in this Congress and he still got reelected anyway in 2024. And the only reason why he's out of public office now, because he resigned because he was worried about what the House Ethics Committee had on him and perhaps didn't want to risk being censured and getting kicked out of the House. All these facts at least suggests that the voters in his district didn't care, or weren't paying attention to this. 

But as MAGA Republicans like to say: we don't live in a democracy. We live in a republic. And just because Matt Gatez's own voters wanted him back in the House for the 119th Congress, doesn't automatically mean that's what they get. Mr. Gaetz is responsible for living by and following by the same rules as every other American citizen. And he resigned from the House simply to try save what's left of any future political career. 

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