‘Why is this man not in prison?’: Matt Gaetz’s ethics report is finally released, and it’s even worse than we expected

It takes an awful lot to be considered among the most controversial members of Congress, but somehow Matt Gaetz managed the task.

He’s no longer a member of Congress, which I suppose just makes him among the most controversial people out there, but it’s the investigation pursued during his time as a Florida Representative that’s tearing the 42-year-old’s reputation to shreds. The ethics report that was pursued between 2020 and 2021 has been a shadow over Gaetz for years, but now that it’s public knowledge, his professional image may be tarnished for good.

When it comes to the Republican party, no controversy is fully disqualifying, however, so Gaetz could still have a political future ahead of him. After all, the findings released in late December still don’t match up to many of the things president-elect Donald Trump has been accused of.

That’s not to say that the report wasn’t damning. Following weeks of speculation and threats, the Gaetz report finally became public Christmas week, and exposed exactly why Gaetz and several of his Republican colleagues were so dead-set against its release. A lengthy investigation into Gaetz’ activity by the House Ethics Committee found far more than a lone 17-year-old on the almost attorney general’s list of transgressions, and we now know the extent of his criminal activity.

Ethics investigators discovered, over the course of their investigation, that Gaetz paid numerous women — including the widely-referenced 17-year-old — for sex, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. He also purchased and used illicit drugs “including from his Capitol Hill office,” according to the report, detailed by CBS News. That’s on top of the other findings of the committee, which concluded that “there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”

Gaetz did his utmost to block the report’s release, including filing a Monday lawsuit in federal court, alleging that — now that he’s stepped down from office — he’s a “private citizen and not subject to the jurisdiction of the committee.”

Somehow, despite the truly damning findings of the report, Gaetz continues to deny any wrongdoing. He’s taking a Trumpian approach to the fracas, claiming it’s no more than a smear campaign aiming to take him down. That no longer holds up, now that the report’s extensive findings are public knowledge, but it seems Gaetz is sticking to denial as his singular tactic in pushing back on the accusations of misconduct that have swirled for years.

The report lists various payments totaling more than $90,000 to 12 different women that the committee “determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.” That’s on top of the drug-fueled parties he reportedly took frequent part in, including a 2018 trip to the Bahamas where, according to witnesses, Gaetz took “ecstasy and had sex with four women.”

The one charge that didn’t stick, based on the report, was the widely-reported count of sex trafficking. While Gaetz was investigated for violating sex trafficking laws, no charges were ever brought against him. Instead, the report sheds a damning light on Gaetz’ rampant drug use, both on and off of Capitol grounds, along with his willingness to accept “gifts of luxury travel in excess of permissible limit.”