Pelosi's 'House Ethics Committee' Caught in Multiple Staggering Lies in Gaetz Report

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is now exactly that — a former representative.

The recent release of a House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz’s professional and personal conduct—initiated during Nancy Pelosi’s tenure as Speaker of the House in the 117th Congress—raises eyebrows due to its unusual timing. Typically, the Ethics Committee focuses on sitting members of Congress.

Gaetz’s departure from Congress stemmed from his ambition to become the U.S. Attorney General. However, he abandoned this pursuit partly due to elements of the report surfacing earlier and his recognition that he lacked Senate confirmation support—regardless of the report’s contents.

Currently, Gaetz has transitioned to cable news commentary with a show on One America News Network. If a future in politics lies ahead, it seems unlikely he will return as an elected or confirmed public official. As the iconic “Simpsons” meme quips, “Stop! Stop! He’s already dead!”

Nonetheless, the Ethics Committee’s report warrants examination, especially since the media has largely portrayed Gaetz’s resignation and withdrawal from his attorney general aspirations as tacit admissions of the allegations’ veracity.

The report alleges that “there is evidence that Representative Gaetz paid women to travel to New York and Washington, D.C. for commercial sex” and that “substantial evidence” exists of his use of “cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana.”

To some extent, Gaetz has not hidden his less-than-pristine past. In a 2021 Washington Examiner Op-Ed addressing initial reports on his personal life, he remarked, “Let me first remind everyone that I am a representative in Congress, not a monk, and certainly not a criminal.”

“My personal life is and always has been conducted on my own time and my own dime. Consensual adult relationships are not illegal. Although I’m sure some partisan crooks in Merrick Garland’s Justice Department want to pervert the truth and the law to go after me, I will not be intimidated or extorted,” Gaetz asserted.

He acknowledged his past but defended its legality: “My lifestyle of yesteryear may be different from how I live now, but it was not and is not illegal. I defended [California Democrat] Rep. Katie Hill’s ‘throuple’ when her own Democratic colleagues wouldn’t. I just didn’t think it was anyone’s business.”

It’s worth noting, however, that Gaetz’s Op-Ed didn’t address the drug-related accusations—a similarity to the downfall of Rep. Katie Hill.

Still, starting one’s defense against allegations of potentially illegal behavior with “I am not a monk” does suggest activities unlikely to earn parental approval.

Rather than bury or praise Gaetz, it’s essential to assess the report’s credibility, as its contents and release signal a potential strategy by Democrats and certain Republicans to combat Trump and his allies during a possible second term.

Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist has highlighted inconsistencies in the report, including challenges raised by Chris Dorworth, a Gaetz associate mentioned in the document. Dorworth’s attorney sent a letter to Ethics Committee Chair Rep. Michael Guest, contesting three “demonstrably false statements” in the report.

One critical point involves the claim that Dorworth “believed Representative Gaetz invited people to his home on the evening of July 15, 2017”—the night tied to the most serious allegation, that Gaetz paid for sex with a minor. Dorworth’s letter refuted this assertion, stating, “Mr. Dorworth did not and has never believed that Representative Gaetz invited people to his house on July 15, 2017.”

To support the claim, the committee referenced gate logs that didn’t include Gaetz’s name and cited depositions that failed to substantiate the allegation. The letter demanded immediate retraction of this statement.

Other discrepancies followed, including claims Dorworth was confronted with cell phone records during a deposition, which his attorney denied. Additionally, the report suggested Dorworth’s counsel failed to respond to committee requests for clarification, despite records of a September 6 response.

Hemingway noted these flaws alongside broader concerns about the report’s credibility, especially given its reliance on witnesses whose testimony led the Department of Justice to drop its investigation in 2022. One witness, a convicted felon, is serving time for crimes including child sex trafficking, while the alleged victim’s testimony was deemed unreliable.

If Biden’s DOJ deemed the case too weak to pursue, the Ethics Committee’s decision to release the report—absent substantial evidence—is perplexing. Without credible proof of the minor-related allegation, the report largely chronicles a decade-old history of alleged drug use and consensual adult relationships.

Hemingway’s critiques extend to the precedent the report sets, likening it to past ethics scandals, such as Democrat Rep. Barney Frank’s involvement in an escort service scandal—where the Ethics Committee absolved him of serious guilt.

This selective weaponization of ethics investigations could backfire, as “Pandora’s Box” once opened spares no one. If this strategy becomes the norm, figures from both sides—past and present—may face reexamination under dubious standards.

Ultimately, the Gaetz report serves as a warning about the dangerous precedent of politicized scandal-mongering. The “Golden Rule of Politics” still applies: Do unto others as they do unto you.