Former Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz faced significant backlash on social media recently after he asserted that claims regarding a sexual relationship he had with a 17-year-old girl were “proven false.” Critics referenced a House Ethics Committee report which indicated “substantial evidence” of clandestine meetings.
Gaetz, who hosts a program on One America News Network, got into a heated exchange with Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) over the weekend, centered on the Republican Party’s stance on Israel, triggering discussions about an ethics scandal.
“If your ‘conservatism’ supports anti-Semitism, then that’s not true conservatism. We uphold truth, not blind loyalty to a group. One can’t uphold Western civilization while echoing ancient prejudices,” Crenshaw expressed in a post.
Crenshaw’s remarks came after the Heritage Foundation, Washington D.C.’s largest conservative think tank, expressed discontent with President Kevin Roberts’ defense of Tucker Carlson, who had white supremacist Nick Fuentes as a guest on his podcast.
In retaliation, Gaetz responded to Crenshaw on X, saying, “If your ‘conservatism’ leans towards interventionism, that’s not authentic conservatism. We protect America, not global interests. You can’t preserve Western civilization by repeating its falsehoods.” He also included a comment about Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Crenshaw retorted with, “If your ‘conservatism’ involves cheating with underage girls, that’s not conservatism,” a clear reference to the allegations against Gaetz that persisted until he resigned from Congress in November 2024.
A note from the X community highlighted, “The bipartisan House Ethics Committee found ‘substantial evidence’ that Gaetz paid for sex and had sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl back in 2017.”
“Senator Crenshaw cannot defend his policy positions, so he opts to resort to exposing defamation,” Gaetz shot back. He then insinuated that Crenshaw was being compensated for pro-Israel advocacy, saying, “Please take that $7,000…”
Adding to the controversy, an X community note stated, “The allegations remain unrefuted. The bipartisan House Ethics Committee found substantial evidence indicating that Mr. Gaetz engaged in sexual activities with women, including a 17-year-old, and illegally possessed drugs like cocaine and ecstasy.”
The Ethics Committee’s findings indicated that from 2017 to 2020, Gaetz “routinely paid women for sexual acts,” including minors, and attempted to obstruct the investigation into his conduct.
In a rare move, ethics lawmakers chose to release the report shortly after Gaetz’s departure from the House. Gaetz had filed a lawsuit aimed at halting publication of the committee’s findings.
In his 40-page lawsuit, Gaetz argued that the committee’s report represented “an unprecedented overreach” and could cause “immediate, severe and irreparable” damage to his reputation.
