Republican Gaetz accused of paying for sex with a minor

The damning report from the congressional ethics committee corners the man Trump had chosen as attorney general, but who withdrew his nomination.

ARA

15/01/2026

1 min

BarcelonaA congressional investigation has finally confirmed—and added lurid details to—the accusations against Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, which forced his resignation from the nomination for attorney general offered to him by Donald Trump. The damning report from the House Ethics Committee accuses Gaetz of paying tens of thousands of dollars for sex and drugs on at least 20 occasions, including paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl in 2017, according to a draft obtained by CNN. The committee itself, led by Republicans, had announced it would release the report on Gaetz, a move he had sought to avoid by resigning his seat. The draft report concludes that the Florida congressman violated the laws of that state, including legislation on rape and sexual assault. The GOP-led group opted to take the unusual step of publishing a report on a former member who resigned from Congress. "The Committee determined that there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, inadmissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress." According to the report, the panel investigated transactions Gaetz personally conducted, often using PayPal or Venmo, with a dozen women during his time in Congress. Investigators also focused on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, which they said "violated the House gift rule," during which he "engaged in sexual activity" with several women, including one who described the trip itself as "payment" for sex. On the same trip, he also took ecstasy, one woman on the trip told the committee.

Trump threatens to regain control of the Panama Canal

A new premature diplomatic conflict has erupted for the incoming Trump administration. Just days after President-elect Donald Trump angered Canada by suggesting it should become the 51st state of the United States, he angered Panama this Sunday by threatening to reclaim U.S. control of the Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and handles a massive influx of goods. During a public event with supporters in Arizona, Trump accused Panama of charging excessive fees for using the waterway and warned that he would not allow the Canal to fall "into the wrong hands," an allusion to Chinese influence in the region.

Trump's words have outraged both Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino and China, who responded immediately. In a recorded message posted on the X network, the Panamanian president responded that Panama's "sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable" and that the donation of the Canal to its people is "irreversible." He also emphasized that China has no influence whatsoever on the Canal's administration and defended the transit fees charged by Panama, saying they were not set "arbitrarily." "As President of Panama, I want to express that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to it," Mulino said in his televised statement.