Former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz Faces Criticism Over Allegations of Sex with Minor
Social media users were quick to criticize former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz over the weekend after he claimed that allegations of having sex with a 17-year-old girl had been “debunked.” Many pointed to a House Ethics Committee report that found “substantial evidence” supporting the allegations.
Gaetz, now a host at One America News Network, found himself in a heated exchange with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) regarding the Republican Party’s stance on Israel, which eventually led to accusations related to the ethics scandal.
“If your ‘conservatism’ flirts with antisemitism, it’s not conservatism. We’re defenders of truth, not blind tribalism. You can’t save Western Civilization while echoing its oldest hatreds,” Crenshaw wrote in a post.
Crenshaw’s comments came after the Heritage Foundation faced backlash for defending Tucker Carlson after he hosted white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his podcast.
Gaetz responded to Crenshaw, stating, “If your ‘conservatism’ flirts with interventionism, it’s not conservatism. We are defenders of America, not globalism. You can’t save Western Civilization while echoing the lies of [Benjamin] Netanyahu.”
Crenshaw fired back, referencing the allegations that surrounded Gaetz before his resignation from Congress in November 2024.
Gaetz accused Crenshaw of resorting to a “debunked smear,” leading to a back-and-forth exchange between the two politicians.
The Ethics panel found evidence that Gaetz had engaged in inappropriate behavior between 2017 and 2020, including paying for sex with women and drug use.
The Ethics Committee released the report after Gaetz left the House, prompting a lawsuit from the former lawmaker.
Gaetz argued that the release of the report would cause irreparable damage to his reputation and criticized the committee for its handling of the investigation.
