Ethics report into Matt Gaetz expected to be released

A long-awaited study into erstwhile Republican US Representative Matt Gaetz is expected to beryllium released connected Monday.

It follows an probe by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of intersexual misconduct and illicit cause usage by Gaetz, who was concisely lined up for a apical occupation successful the furniture of President-elect Donald Trump.

A draught of the study seen by the BBC's US spouse CBS News - described arsenic a last mentation - reportedly says determination is "substantial evidence" that Gaetz broke authorities laws relating to intersexual misconduct portion successful office.

Gaetz, 42, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, saying helium is the unfortunate of a smear campaign. He has not commented connected the latest developments.

The 37-page draught seen by CBS is quoted arsenic saying: "The committee determined determination is important grounds that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and different standards of behaviour prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit cause use, impermissible gifts, peculiar favours oregon privileges, and obstruction of Congress."

From 2017 to 2020, Gaetz made payments totalling much than $90,000 (£72,000) to 12 antithetic women "that the Committee determined were apt successful transportation with intersexual enactment and/or cause use", CBS quotes the draught arsenic saying.

The draught besides reportedly contains grounds that Gaetz paid for enactment with a 17-year-old astatine a enactment successful 2017, giving her $400 "which she understood to beryllium outgo for sex". Gaetz has denied having enactment with a minor.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) - which Trump had initially planned for Gaetz to pb - besides investigated an allegation that helium had enactment with a insignificant but yet did not record immoderate transgression charges against him.

Gaetz represented Florida's archetypal legislature territory successful the US House of Representatives, having travel to powerfulness successful the aforesaid predetermination successful 2016 that propelled his state Trump to the White House the archetypal time.

He was named past period arsenic Trump's DoJ nominee. Gaetz promptly resigned from Congress, seemingly putting him retired of scope of the morals committee.

But an aggravated statement erupted implicit whether oregon not the study should beryllium released. Gaetz past withdrew his sanction from information for the DoJ role, saying helium hoped to debar a "needlessly protracted Washington scuffle".

Gaetz's slated relation arsenic lawyer wide was 1 of those that required the confirmation of US senators - which looked progressively unlikely.

The secretive morals committee had investigated Gaetz connected and disconnected since 2021 - not lone connected the claims astir enactment and drugs, but besides connected allegations helium accepted bribes and misused run funds. In each cases, helium powerfully denied immoderate wrongdoing.

House Republicans antecedently blocked Democratic efforts to unveil the results of the report, but 2 of them aboriginal voted to bash so, according to CBS.

Responding past week to quality that the papers would beryllium released aft all, Gaetz posted connected X: "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not adjacent a run concern violation. And the radical investigating maine hated me."

He added: "Instead, House Ethics volition reportedly station a study online that I person nary accidental to statement oregon rebut arsenic a erstwhile subordinate of the body."

Gaetz besides wrote: "It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I astir apt partied, womanised, drank and smoked much than I should person earlier successful life. I unrecorded a antithetic beingness now."