How 'damning' text messages played key role in 'bombshell accusations' against Gaetz

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) has been the subject of two separate investigations related to alleged sexual misconduct: an actual criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and a probe by the House Ethics Committee.

The DOJ investigation was concluded, and Gaetz — who denied the allegations against him — was never charged with anything. But the House Ethics report was made public on Monday, December 23, and the allegations include paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl.

In an article published on Christmas Eve 2024, USA Today reporter Josh Meyer describes the role that text messages play in the report's "bombshell accusations."

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Meyer explains, "Some of the (Ethics) Committee's damning allegations come from the former congressman's own words and actions, according to details within the long-awaited report made public Monday. Others comprise text messages, financial records, photos and interviews of people closest to him, the Committee report said, including a former friend who's now in prison and an ex-girlfriend who both used a 'sugar dating' site linking older men with younger women."

After the House Ethics report was released, many of Gaetz's critics — including Democrats and Never Trump conservatives — were also highly critical of President-elect Donald Trump for picking Gaetz for U.S. attorney general.

Gaetz, however, withdrew from consideration, and Trump has picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for that position.

The House Ethics report alleges, "The record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women at (a) party, including the then-17-year-old, for which they were paid."

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Meyer notes, "Much of that evidence came from text messages by Gaetz and his associates, according to the report. In one text exchange obtained by the (Ethics) Committee, Gaetz balked at a woman's request for money after he accused her of 'ditching' him on a night when she was feeling tired, claiming she only gave him a 'drive by,' the report said. The woman asserted to Gaetz that she was being 'treated differently' than other women he was paying for sex, the report added."

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Read USA Today's full article at this link.