Political analysts and observers were outraged on Thursday after a nonprofit newsroom published an explosive report about one of President Donald Trump's allies.
The Florida Bulldog published a copy of the House Ethics Committee's final report concerning its investigation into allegations that former Rep. Matt Gaetz sex trafficked minors. Gaetz was never formally charged by the Department of Justice in the case, although one close associate, Joel Greenberg, pled guilty to sex trafficking charges and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Greenberg also worked with House investigators during their probe, according to reports.
Gaetz resigned from Congress in 2024. Trump initially nominated him to be attorney general before withdrawing him in favor of Pam Bondi.
The House Ethics Committee cited Gaetz's resignation as its reason for withholding the report.
The report paints a damning picture of Gaetz's actions. For instance, it found that Gaetz "regularly" paid for sex between 2017 and 2020 and that he engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl, both of which are claims Gaetz initially denied. The report also found that Gaetz misrepresented his relationship with someone to the Department of State to help them obtain a passport.
The ethics report sparked outrage online.
"Matt Gaetz is such a uniquely awful human that even Senate Republicans couldn’t stomach him (and they confirmed Brainworm Kennedy!)," Rajan Narang, director of state for the Pro-Democracy Center, posted on Bluesky.
"Every member of the Republican House Ethics committee should resign in absolute disgrace!" Professor Adam Cochran posted on X.
"The House Ethics Committee found that Matt Gaetz did all of the horrible things previously claimed—sex trafficking minors, prostitution (including of minors), drugs, drunk driving, obstruction, the works. The Florida Bulldog has secured and published the House report this evening," Scott Horton, contributing editor at Harper's, posted on Bluesky.
"We sort of knew all this, but I hope the constituents of the GOP 'Ethics' Committee members hound them relentlessly about why they fell in line to protect this criminal," writer Julian Sanchez posted on Bluesky.
"Not only did Trump want to make this guy AG, but Matty Gaetz played a key role in the pardon of former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez," journalist Marcy Wheeler posted on Bluesky.