Ex-US ministerial candidate

Gaetz allegedly paid minors for sex

The Republican Matt Gaetz

(Bild: AFP/SUZANNE CORDEIRO)

After a long back and forth, the Ethics Committee of the US House of Representatives has finally published the investigation report on Republican Matt Gaetz. The allegations are serious: the former congressman is said to have paid women for sex, including a 17-year-old.

He is alleged to have been involved in prostitution, sexual abuse of a minor and illegal drug use. According to the report, Gaetz broke both Florida and federal laws as well as the rules of conduct of the House of Representatives.

A party in 2017 is in particular focus, at which the 42-year-old is said to have had sex with a 17-year-old and paid for it. According to the report, however, there is no clear evidence that he was aware of the young person's age. According to Florida law, this would constitute the criminal offense of sexual abuse of a minor - even if the sex was consensual. Legally, it would be a form of rape, as minors cannot legally consent to sexual acts.

Access to young women via a friend?
Gaetz is said to have gained access to young women through a friend who had already been sentenced to a long prison term. According to the report, he contacted the women via a "sugar dating" platform. This was used to bring "older men and younger women" together for "mutually beneficial relationships" and had already been the subject of investigations.

The US Department of Justice had been investigating the Republican for years for human trafficking for sexual purposes, among other things. However, the investigations were closed without charges. The Ethics Committee continued the investigation and has now concluded that while the former congressman had women transported across state lines for commercial sex acts, there was no evidence of minors, coercion, fraud or coercion.

You can see a posting by Gaetz here.

Republican rejects allegations
Above all, Gaetz rejected the accusation of prostitution on Platform X. He failed to prevent the publication of the report. The 42-year-old is considered one of the most radical voices within the Republican Party and a loyal supporter of Donald Trump.

He would have been the new government's Attorney General, but withdrew himself at the end of November. He had also resigned his seat in parliament shortly beforehand.