'Repellent' report shows 'commonality between' Trump and ex-AG pick: NYT editor

23 December 2024

On Monday, December 23, the House Ethics Committee released its long-awaited final report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), noting that during its investigation, it found "substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress."

Gaetz has vehemently denied the allegations in the report.

The New York Times' David Firestone, in a scathing opinion column released the same day, argues that the House Ethics report is not only damning for Gaetz, but also, speaks volumes about Trump — who nominated him for U.S. attorney general in November.

"There is so much repellently sleazy behavior documented in the House Ethics Committee report about Matt Gaetz that a reader has to stop every few pages to look away and focus on what still seems astounding: This is the man that Donald Trump wanted to be the attorney general of the United States, the highest-ranking law enforcement official in the land, the leader of the Department of Justice," Firestone laments. "Trump wanted to give that position to a man who paid at least half a dozen women for sex, according to the report, which was made public on Monday."

Trump, Firestone adds, "wanted to give the Justice Department to a man" the House Ethics Committee alleges "committed the statutory rape of a 17-year-old girl."

"Nonetheless, when you read through the details, you can see the commonality between the two men, and the reasons Trump held Gaetz in high esteem," Firestone writes. "It's not just the contempt for women as disposable commodities for hire or plunder; it's the contempt for the law."

After Gaetz withdrew from consideration for U.S. attorney general, Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the position.

The Ethics Committee, Firestone notes, said it "had serious concerns that Representative Gaetz might retaliate against individuals who cooperated with the Committee."

"Does that sound familiar?" Firestone argues. "It's a summary of the conduct we’ve seen from the president-elect for years, whenever the law tries to make him responsible for his conduct. In many ways, these two men think the same way about authority, and in that sense, Gaetz would have been an ideal attorney general for the next administration."

David Firestone's full New York Times column is available at this link (subscription required).

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