Gaetz presence at cocaine-fueled party with 17-year-old girl confirmed by witness: report
The House Ethics Committee's investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has secured the testimony of a witness who has confirmed Gaetz's presence at a cocaine-fueled party that was also attended by a then-17-year-old girl rumored to have had a sexual relationship with the Florida congressman.
ABC News reports that the witness in question told investigators about a party in 2017 that featured drugs such as cocaine and MDMA that was attended by both Gaetz and the then-teenage girl.
"According to the statement provided to the committee, sources said the woman who made the statement... said she saw the then-minor naked at the party, which was also attended by adult men other than Gaetz, and that at the party there allegedly were bedrooms that were made available for sexual activities," reports ABC.
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However, the statement does not confirm whether Gaetz had sexual relations with the girl at the party, nor does it say whether Gaetz used the illegal drugs that were present at the party.
Gaetz has long denied having sex with a minor and a federal investigation into claims that the congressman committed sex trafficking was dropped without charges last year.
However, there was enough evidence of potential wrongdoing that the House Ethics Committee decided to launch its own probe into Gaetz, who has repeatedly drawn the ire of his fellow Republicans for leading the charge to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year.
In fact, notes ABC News, McCarthy himself has said that the ethics probe into Gaetz was the chief reason why the Florida congressman had a vendetta against him.
"I'll give you the truth why I'm not speaker," McCarthy said recently. "It's because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old."