Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been dogged for years by lurid allegations of potentially criminal sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and ethics violations that he has consistently denied as untrue.

Despite Gaetz's firm denials as well as his resignation last month from Congress, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee released a damning report on Monday that claimed to have found "substantial evidence" of unacceptable behavior by the ex-congressman, Breitbart reported.

Gaetz stands accused of engaging in the statutory rape of a minor; soliciting multiple prostitutes; consuming and possessing illicit drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana; accepting unallowed gifts; providing special favors and privileges; and obstructing a congressional investigation.

Committee finds "substantial evidence" of alleged misconduct

According to Politico, the House Ethics Committee's report on ex-Rep. Gaetz stated, "The Committee concluded there was substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, acceptance of impermissible gifts, the provision of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress."

The committee, however, acknowledged that it failed to find "sufficient evidence" to support allegations of federal sex trafficking law violations -- allegations that had been central to a Justice Department probe that concluded last year with no criminal charges filed.

In response to the report, Gaetz reiterated to the outlet his insistent denial of any criminal behavior and said, "These claims would be destroyed in court -- which is why they were never made in any court against me."

Sex, drugs, and "impermissible gifts"

Per Politico, the committee report alleges that Gaetz had sex at least once and consumed illicit drugs with a then-17-year-old high school student at a party in 2017, though it acknowledged that he was likely unaware that she was underage at the time of the alleged encounter.

The report further claimed that Gaetz often solicited and paid prostitutes for sex, typically while using cocaine or ecstasy, and while all of the women interviewed by the committee admitted that their encounters were consensual, there was some suggestion of an "exploitative power imbalance" that led some of the women to feel they'd been coerced or taken advantage of.

The committee also alleged that Gaetz accepted "impermissible gifts" in the form of lodging and transportation during a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, as well as that he'd falsely claimed to the State Department that one of the women on that trip was a constituent to help her obtain a passport for the international travel.

Gaetz admits to "embarrassing" prior behavior, insists he broke no laws

According to CNN, Gaetz unsuccessfully attempted to block the public release of the report with a lawsuit and claimed he had "frequently and vehemently declared his innocence regarding the alleged misconduct, and requested Defendants cease their investigation and provide him appropriate due process rights," only for the committee to be "unresponsive" to his requests.

In a statement posted to social media prior to the release of the report, the former congressman seemed to admit that he'd previously led a wild life of partying and sex but adamantly denied ever having sex with a minor or paying prostitutes to sleep with him.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated -- even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years," Gaetz said last week. "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."

Committee chair objected to release of report

The decision by the House Ethics Committee to release the Gaetz report was not unanimous, as Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) said in a statement, "While I do not challenge the Committee’s findings, I did not vote to support the release of the report and I take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committee’s well-established standards and voted to release a report on an individual no longer under the Committee’s jurisdiction, an action the Committee has not taken since 2006."

"Representative Gaetz resigned from Congress, withdrew from consideration to serve in the next administration, and declared that he would not seek to be seated in the 119^th Congress," the chairman added. "The decision to publish a report after his resignation breaks from the Committee’s long-standing practice, opens the Committee to undue criticism, will be viewed by some as an attempt to weaponize the Committee’s process, and is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences."