The Most Scandalous Things That Have Come Out About Matt Gaetz

The strangely silent President-elect Donald Trump is in the process of nominating several politicians for positions in his administration, and one such nomination is former congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general, who quickly resigned from the House of Representatives on November 13, 2024 after accepting the nomination.

Many senators were surprised and dismayed by the nomination when speaking to The New York Times. "I don't think he's a serious candidate," Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. "I was shocked by the announcement," Republican Senator Susan Collins added. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal didn't hold back when sharing his opinion on the nomination. "The key question is whether [Senate Republicans] will have the backbone and respect for justice — it's that simple. This nomination will probably be the first test of their integrity."

Raised eyebrows over Gaetz's nomination should come as no surprise. The Florida representative has been mired in controversy and scandal since even before he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2017.

In 2008, Matt Gaetz was arrested for driving under the influence. Gaetz was pulled over for speeding by Deputy Chris Anglin. He admitted to drinking beer before driving and refused to take a breathalyzer test. His license should have been suspended for a year because of his refusal, but it was reinstated shortly after the arrest.

The prosecutor for Gaetz's case asked to step away due to a conflict of interest (his stepson was friends with Gaetz), and attorney Steve Meadows was assigned the case. Meadows dropped the case in December 2008, but not without controversy. The motion to dismiss Gaetz's case included no mention of Gaetz's observed impairment, and instead an anonymous testimony was added stating (per The Tampa Bay Times), "A civilian witness drove by who knew (Gaetz) and observed no indication of impairment."

His arrest received attention in 2019 when Gaetz criticized Hunter Biden and his problems with addiction. He was swiftly silenced by representative Hank Johnson, who said, "The pot calling the kettle black is not something that we should do. I don't know what members, if any, have had problems with substance abuse, been busted in a DUI. I don't know, but if I did, I wouldn't raise it against anyone on this committee. I don't think it's proper." He looked toward Gaetz as he spoke, alluding to Gaetz's 2008 arrest (via Washington Post).

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen was set to speak about his illegal dealings on behalf of Trump before the House Oversight Committee in February 2019 when Matt Gaetz, a firm Trump supporter, seemingly decided to make himself the center of the story. "Hey [Michael Cohen] — Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot ..." Gaetz wrote in a since-deleted tweet.

"This isn't witness tampering, it's witness testing. When people like Michael Cohen, who's about to go to prison for lying, come before the Congress, there's an enhanced responsibility on the part of members of Congress to test that veracity, to test the truthfulness and character of the witness," Gaetz told reporters in defense of his actions (via Pensacola News Journal). After being called out by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gaetz deleted the tweet. 

Gaetz's behavior prompted the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation. In August 2020, the Ethics committee found that Gaetz's tweet, "did not violate witness tampering and obstruction of Congress laws," but that his behavior, "did not reflect creditably upon the House of Representatives, in violation of House Rule XXIII, clause 1 of the Code of Official Conduct."

In April 2020, Matt Gaetz allegedly used almost $200,000 in taxpayer funds to rent office space from friend and donor Collier Merrill at a below market rate, which goes against House of Representative rules. "Every member of Congress has relationships with their donors. The question is whether or not those relationships are improper or illegal," Gaetz said in an interview with Politico. Both told Politico that Gaetz rented at a below market rate, but Gaetz amended his statement, saying the rent was, "at or below market rate."

A watchdog group filed complaints against Gaetz and Merrill, prompting an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics. "The highest paid tenant in the building pays $24 per square foot and the lowest paid tenant pays $16 a square foot. I pay $18 a square foot," Gaetz said, per the Pensacola New Journal.

In July 2020, the Office of Congressional Ethics recommended no action was to be taken against Gaetz. However, that same month, Politico reported on an investigation into Gaetz's spending, claiming that Gaetz sent almost $30,000 in taxpayer funds to a company tied to a former White House aide who had been hired as a speechwriting consultant; House rules disallow politicians from using taxpayer dollars on consultants like speechwriters. The other allegation was that Gaetz used taxpayer money to build a TV studio that Gaetz used for television appearances during the pandemic, to pay for the camera rental, and cover a fee for his appearances.

The most damning and heinous of Matt Gaetz's scandals is the years-long investigation into allegations that he participated in the sex trafficking of a minor and committed statutory rape. His friend and former tax collector Joel Greenberg was investigated and prosecuted for a litany of financial crimes as well as sex trafficking a minor (via Vox). The Justice Department later opened an investigation into Gaetz for sex trafficking the same minor, who was 17 at the time. Gaetz denied the allegations, saying, "It is verifiably false that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman" (via The New York Times).

According to a New York Times report, Gaetz was also being investigated for paying women for sex via apps like Venmo and Cash App. Gaetz would ask the women to recruit others with whom he could have sex, and he potentially paid for their travels across state lines for the sexual relations. "Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex. Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely," his office said in a statement.

By 2023, the Department of Justice concluded its investigation and elected not to bring charges against Gaetz. The House Ethics Committee re-opened the probe later that year, but Gaetz's resignation from Congress in November 2024 essentially ended the investigation. A report on their findings may still be released, according to The Washington Post.

While the sex trafficking investigation into Matt Gaetz was ongoing, he voted against an anti-human trafficking bill. The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 aimed to allocate $1.1 billion in funds to improve previously implemented programs aimed at preventing human trafficking. Gaetz was joined by 19 other republicans who voted against the bill, which passed in a 401-20 vote.

This wasn't the first time Gaetz voted no on an anti-human trafficking bill. In 2017 he was the sole no vote against the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, which also allocated funds to bolster the U.S. Department of Transportation's efforts to prevent human trafficking. Gaetz defended his vote, saying (via Pensacola News Journal), "Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government." A couple months later in February 2018, he similarly voted against the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act.

Gaetz was undeniably a controversial pick for attorney general, and while his nomination may have been a shortcut to escape investigation, time will tell if taking such a prominent position is really the right move for the troubled politician.