Congressman Matt Gaetz, who resigned from Congress last month when he was tapped to lead the Justice Department before pulling out due to a lack of Senate support, is now admitting to paying some of his former girlfriends and “playing hard” before he was married.

His admission comes as CNN is reporting that the House Committee on Ethics voted in secret to release its report into Mr. Gaetz’s behavior before the end of this congressional session. Mr. Gaetz was investigated for years by the ethics panel for his alleged use of drugs and sexual encounters with a minor. He has denied all accusations and was not charged following a Justice Department investigation into the matter. 

“In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked,” Mr. Gaetz wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. He insisted that he “NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18.”

“Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court,” Mr. Gaetz wrote. “My 30’s were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too.”

He says the witnesses who accused him during the ethics committee probe were not credible enough for the Justice Department to rely on for a prosecution and could not be trusted. 

“The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes. I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED,” Mr. Gaetz wrote on X after CNN reported that the ethics report would soon be released.

While Mr. Gaetz himself was never charged in any case involving sex with women, his friend and close associate, Joel Greenberg, is serving a lengthy sentence for his role in a sex trafficking scheme involving minors. The 11-year sentence Greenberg received was part of a plea deal that he made with federal prosecutors in exchange for cooperating with their probe into Mr. Gaetz.

The report on Mr. Gaetz could be in the public’s hands as early as Friday night, when the House is expected to conclude its voting for this congressional session. 

“The very ‘witnesses’ DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued,” he added. 

Mr. Gaetz said that it is “embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.”

When he was nominated by President-elect Trump in November for the attorney general position, Mr. Gaetz received little support from Republican senators and senators-elect who vote to confirm presidential nominations. He withdrew eight days after his nomination. 

On the day he was nominated, Mr. Gaetz resigned from Congress and announced he would not return for the 119th session due to begin on January 3. Because he was no longer in Congress, the ethics committee twice voted against releasing the report, citing precedent to withhold reports into the conduct of individuals who are not members of the House.