The House Ethics Committee finally released it report about the allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz in Florida on Monday after Donald Trump’s failed effort to nominate the former congressman as US Attorney General. And while Gaetz has denied allegations that he had sex with a minor, it’s a shocking read all around.

From at least 2017 to 2020, Gaetz allegedly paid thousands of dollars for sex with women, including a 17-year-old girl. The report also alleges that Gaetz took illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, and accepted a gift trip to the Bahamas in violation of congressional rules. Gaetz also helped one of the women he had sex with get an expedited passport, falsely telling the State Department she was one of his constituents, according to the report.

Gaetz also allegedly obstructed Congress as it conducted an investigation into his conduct and refused to cooperate as the committee sought to determine whether the congressman had violated ethics rules. It’s unclear whether Gaetz will face charges in the state on any of the allegations, though the committee no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz since he resigned his seat, despite winning reelection in November.

The congressional report found that based on its investigation, “there is overwhelming evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, use of illegal drugs, receiving gifts that are not allowed, the granting of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress.

Also included in the report are screenshots of text messages from Joel Greenberg, a friend of Gaetz’s who is currently serving an 11-year sentence for sex trafficking of a minor. Greenberg pleaded guilty to multiple charges in 2022 but denied having sex with any underage girls.

The report contains a breakdown of how much Gaetz allegedly paid various women from 2017 to 2020, totaling more than $60,000, including an ex-girlfriend who allegedly engaged in some sexual activity. worker, although the report states that “some of the payments may have a legitimate nature.”

Gaetz did not provide the text messages to the committee, but the report included several messages from him, which were likely obtained through sex workers he paid. The texts sometimes referred to “party favors” that the report said were references to illegal drugs.

The committee report also detailed how Gaetz was introduced to the women by Greenberg who found them on the website SeekingArrangement.com, an online dating site now known as Seeking.com, which specializes in “sugar dating” relationships where a young woman. usually associated with an older man under some sort of stable financial arrangement.

Gaetz took to social media after the report’s release to defend himself against the report’s charges.

Giving your date money – that they didn’t ask for – and not being “charged” for sex is now prostitution?!?

There is a reason they did this to me in a report on Christmas Eve and not in any kind of court where I could present evidence and challenge… pic.twitter.com/HzWODpBBB9

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 23, 2024

Several Republicans opposed the report’s release, including ethics committee chairman Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi. Guest wrote for the opposing committee members, who insisted that they no longer had jurisdiction to release the findings because Gaetz had resigned, an argument that made no sense whatsoever.

“We believe that operating outside the jurisdictional boundaries set forth in House and Committee guidelines, especially when making public disclosures, is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences,” wrote Guest.

It’s unclear what would be “dangerous” about the release of a congressional report unless it contains something inaccurate, which Guest doesn’t allege. Congress releases reports about people who have never worked as congressmen all the time. The committee no longer has jurisdiction to punish him. State and federal authorities, however, have jurisdiction if they want to charge him with any of the violations outlined in the report.

There are hundreds of pages included in the appendices, with everything from airline boarding passes and travel itineraries to questions submitted to the committee and text messages between Gaetz and the women he allegedly paid for. for sex. And some on social media took the opportunity to joke about some of the details there, including the fact that at least one of the women was flying. Spirit Airlines.

Can’t mention enough how Matt Gaetz of Spirit Airlines flies them pic.twitter.com/nqstSfZoTu

— Monica Venzke (@monicavenzke) December 23, 2024

No matter the topic, the internet will grill you.