Matt Gaetz Goes Off on Ethics Report in Emotional Tweetstorm: 'Giving Funds to Someone You're Dating Is Now Prostitution?!?'

Former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz has taken to social media to address the recently released report from the House Ethics Committee, accusing him of breaking federal and state law.

The highly anticipated report, which was released on Monday, concludes that Gaetz committed a series of illegal acts, including statutory rape, solicitation, purchasing and using illegal drugs.

"The Committee determined there is 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," the 37-page report concludes.

In response, Gaetz went on an X (formerly Twitter) rampage, incessantly making posts in which he defends himself against the accusations levied against him by the report.

"Giving funds to someone you are dating - that they didn't ask for - and that isn't "charged" for sex is now prostitution?!? There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses," he wrote in one post. "This is testimony from one of the alleged "prostitutes" that you won't see in the report!"

The post also includes an image of the transcript from the court hearing in which the witness, the individual who received money from Gaetz, states that she did not charge Gaetz for sexual favors and that he voluntarily gifted her funds.

"I never charged anyone anything. Like I said, it was just given," said the witness, identified only as 'A'.

In another post, Gaetz points to the fact that, by her own admission, the witness was not consistently paid for her presence, reiterating the fact that she was not being paid for prostitution.

"ANOTHER ONE of the ethics witnesses who was an alleged "prostitute" claims she was indeed NOT when actually pressed in a deposition," he wrote. "This won't be in the "ethics" report because of course."

"There were a lot of times where I did not get paid for being there," said the witness, according to court transcripts.

"Nearly every young woman that the Committee interviewed confirmed that she was paid for sex by, or on behalf of, Representative Gaetz" between 2017 and 2020, stated the panel.

Gaetz continued to share parts of the transcript in which the witness denies having been trafficked.

"This is the trafficking "victim" claiming under oath that this characterization is false," he wrote in the caption.

He also pointed to the fact that he was never charged with a crime as evidence that he never engaged in solicitation, as he and the witness never discussed payment.

"MORE TESTIMONY you won't see in the "ethics" report. This is clearly not prostitution under any conceivable definition. Which is why I was never charged with a crime!" Gaetz wrote.

Furthermore, Gaetz reposted a reply to one of his own posts in which a user pointed out that the practice of "gift-giving" is allegedly ubiquitous amongst members of Congress.

"If gifts are now prostitution, then everyone in Congress is now a hoe," wrote the user.

Gaetz then posted an article detailing his own effort to challenge the findings of the report using social media by Just The News. He posted another article covering the support he received from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon published by War Room.

In addition to this, Gaetz has retweeted messages of support from various other users, including Florida state representatives Juan Carlos Porras and Alex Andrade and author Ashley St. Clair.

"As for these accusations against him, I consider them worth less than nothing. Under our laws, a man is considered innocent until proven guilty," wrote billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a post about Gaetz, which Gaetz then reposted.

"If AG Garland (an unprincipled douchebag) could have secured a conviction against Gaetz, he would have, but he knew he could not. Case closed," Musk continued.

Gaetz also reposted a post from right-wing news outlet Wall Street Apes which implies that the allegations against Gaetz came out after he was picked to be President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general in order to prevent him from assuming the role.

"So let me get this straight, Matt Gaetz gets selected for Attorney General - Vows to target Congress insider trading - Calls Ukraine a money laundering operation," they wrote.

"Magically has underage sexual assault ALLEGATIONS, not charges, publicly released BUT the Congress reps who used $17 million in taxpayer money to settle sexual assault charges are allowed to keep it a secret along with the Jeffrey Epstein client list?" they continued.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated—even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years," Gaetz said in a statement last week. "It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now."