House report finds ‘substantial evidence’ ex-congressman engaged in sex trafficking among other violations

A House ethics committee report on Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman, found “substantial evidence” that he engaged in sex trafficking and paid for sex with a minor, among other serious violations of state law and congressional rules.

The investigation concludes that Gaetz, Trump’s first pick for attorney general, made payments totalling tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex and drugs across at least 20 separate occasions. The report also states that in 2017 Gaetz paid a 17-year-old girl for sex when he was 35 years old, which would constitute statutory rape under Florida law.