Matt Gaetz tears into colleagues demanding his ‘sex list of women’ and ‘illicit drugs’ history as investigation continues
Rep. Matt Gaetz claims the congressional investigation into his past sexual experiences and alleged drug use is overly “curious and falsified,” calling it a “political payback.”
The married 42-year-old Florida Republican has been the subject of a lengthy House Ethics Committee investigation over multiple allegations.
The lawmaker addressed some of these allegations head-on, posting a letter to his social media account Thursday to clear the air and quell speculation about an alleged sexual encounter he had with a minor, past drug use and more to press.
“Your correspondence dated September 4 asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18,” Gaetz wrote to top lawmakers on the House Ethics Committee.
“The answer to this question is an unequivocal NO,” he wrote. “The lawful, consensual sexual activity of adults is not the business of Congress.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wrote in a memo Thursday that he had no sexual encounters with minors. He also denied using illegal drugs. He is currently under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics
Gaetz chided the ethics panel for vigorously pursuing him despite presenting “smoking gun” evidence that he had committed no wrongdoing months ago.
“I provided the committee with compelling evidence of my innocence by producing contemporaneous writings from prison documenting the plot to frame me,” he wrote.
That evidence, according to Gaetz, included documents showing that a key witness who accused him of the drug use and sexual encounter had lied to reduce his own prison sentence.
The congressman likened the evidence to a smear campaign against him.
“Part of you’re wondering if I’ve had sex with a list of grown women for the last seven years. The lawful, consensual sexual activity of adults is not the business of Congress,” Gaetz wrote.
“This question about my sexual history reveals a sinister motive by the committee to harm me and those who have had any relationship with me.”
Gaetz walks with his fiancée Ginger Luckey before addressing a crowd in 2021. The two are now married
Gaetz and his wife married in 2021, presumably after his alleged encounter with a minor
‘Asking about my sexual history as a single man with adult women is a bridge too far.’
He also talked about his drug use, or lack thereof.
The memo continues: “You are asking if I have used drugs illegally. I have not used drugs that are illegal without a law permitting their use in any jurisdiction of the United States.”
“Your investigation into me has become an act of political revenge, without due process, riddled with leaks, and now seeking highly personal information that is not the business of Congress.”
The Republican also noted that he was aware of an outstanding subpoena against him to compel his testimony under oath.
Gaetz said that even though he has not received legal notice, he “will no longer willingly participate in this deplorable abuse of the commission.”
Gaetz has informed the ethics committee that he will no longer willingly cooperate with their investigation into him
The Justice Department previously investigated the congressman for allegations of sex with a minor and child sex trafficking, but did not press charges.
“I am being investigated and judged by my political opponents,” Gaetz wrote. ‘
This is Soviet. This investigation is designed to do what the voters of my district do not want: remove me from office.”
While the subpoena is real, as Republicans claim, it could be an indication that the Ethics Commission’s investigation is coming to an end.