Matt Gaetz Reveals Revenge Plot to Unseal His Enemies’ Dirtiest Secrets

Matt Gaetz unveiled an astonishing comeback plan to cause chaos and embarrassment to his enemies Wednesday–hours after lawmakers voted to release a report on allegations he had sex with underage girls.

The firebrand conservative said he is considering taking his seat in the House of Representatives on Jan. 3 and moving to expose any lawmaker who has used congressional funds to pay off victims of sexual misconduct.

Gaetz had resigned from his current House seat last month during an uphill battle to become President-elect Donald Trump’s next attorney general, and had indicated he would not take up his seat in the new Congress.

But he told the Beast he is “seriously considering” briefly returning on the first day of the new 119th Congress, a move he suggests he is legally entitled to make, because he cannot resign from the new Congress until it is formed.

In his plan, he would then force a vote on a resolution to rip the lid off secretive “Me Too” settlements made by current and former lawmakers using taxpayer dollars.

The Florida politician—who abruptly resigned in November after being tapped as Trump’s initial attorney general nominee before taking himself out of the running—is lashing out because the House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release the findings of its three-year investigation into whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and drug use with minors, or paid women for sex. The vote happened earlier this month and was revealed Wednesday.

Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, claiming that the reopening of the ethics probe was politically motivated. He pointed to the Department of Justice, which dropped its investigation without bringing charges.

He again on Wednesday denied any criminal wrongdoing in a social media posting, but admitted, “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.”

Part of the agenda on Jan. 3 is to take a floor vote on whether Speaker Mike Johnson will retain his power as the chamber’s No. 1 leader. A number of conservatives—including Johnson—have pushed back on releasing the report, arguing that it breaks precedent to make public ethics reports on a former member.

But Johnson’s power is suddenly on shaky ground. Johnson’s standing was much stronger following Trump’s presidential election victory in November. Now, a number of House Republicans tell the Beast, critics appear increasingly noncommittal to backing Johnson, who has held the job since Oct. 25, 2023. He got it when Gaetz nearly singlehandedly forced Kevin McCarthy out of the top post.