Matt Gaetz Finds Support in His Former District in Florida

As new allegations emerged with the release of the House Ethics Committee’s findings on Matt Gaetz, some of his supporters in his former district echoed Mr. Gaetz’s criticisms of the investigation as partisan and unfounded.

“Your past makes you who you are today, and Matt is a darn good congressman,” said Sandra L. Atkinson, the former chair of the Republican Party in Okaloosa County, part of the Florida panhandle region that Mr. Gaetz represented until his resignation last month. She added that Mr. Gaetz, the Republican member of Congress from the state’s First District since 2017, never “got sidetracked by the lies, and the people that are the jealous — the haters.”

Democrats and some Republicans have long criticized Mr. Gaetz and his penchant for attention-grabbing stunts, and the release of the report drew more critiques.

At a bar in downtown Pensacola, Fla., Patti Gallion Bergstrom, 69, a retired broadcast journalist who said she supports Democrats, said of Mr. Gaetz, “He shouldn’t even be on the streets, let alone be in office.” And Gay Valimont, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran against Mr. Gaetz in November, said on Monday that Mr. Gaetz “has always been a fraud.” But Mr. Gaetz has retained notable support from some Republicans in Florida, some of whom questioned why Mr. Gaetz faced such scrutiny from the committee, given that a Justice Department investigation did not result in any charges.

“I stand with him and hope to see him continue his public service in the near future,” said Juan C. Porras, a Miami-based state representative, in a post on social media.

Dogged by the committee investigation and allegations of illicit drug use and sexual misconduct, Mr. Gaetz still handily won re-election last month. He denied wrongdoing and accused his opponents of a personal vendetta.