'The fix is in': Defiant Matt Gaetz lashes out at House Ethics Committee's investigation

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) issued a defiant statement on Thursday as the House Ethics Committee seemingly prepares to release a report into reported misconduct involving an underage girl.

In a letter to the House Ethics Committee, Gaetz said he would no longer cooperate willingly with their investigation and declared that "the fix is in."

"Your investigation into me has devolved into a political payback exercise, devoid of adequate due process, riddled with leaks, and now seeking deeply personal information that is no business of Congress," Gaetz wrote, and then accused the committee of releasing "public statements to cast me in a negative light."

Gaetz went on to address rumors that he engaged in sex with a minor and that he had taken illegal drugs.

While Gaetz unequivocally denied having sexual relations with an underage girl, he was more cagey when it came to answer questions about his past drug use.

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"I have no used drugs which are illegal, absent some law allowing use in a jurisdiction of the United States," he wrote. "I have not used 'illicit' drugs, which I consider to be drugs unlawful for medical or over-the-counter use everywhere in the United States."

He closed his letter by announcing he was cutting off further cooperation with the probe.

"I will no longer voluntarily participate in this regrettable abuse of the Committee," he said. "I understand that the Committee has issued, but not served, a subpoena for my testimony. I explicitly reserve all of my rights pursuant to the House Rules and the U.S. Constitution."

Gaetz was investigated by the United States Department of Justice over potential sex trafficking but was ultimately not charged criminally.