The former congressman was the focus of a House Ethics panel report accusing him of “regularly” paying for sex and using drugs, which helped doom his short-lived nomination for attorney general.

Gaetz was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over alleged illicit drug use and of having sex with an underage 17-year-old girl. While he has denied wrongdoing, the

The former congressman, who was the subject of a federal investigation and a congressional ethics probe, said he has "a compelling vision for the state."

The former congressman's comments come weeks after the House Ethics Committee released a bombshell report claiming he paid for sex with a 17-year-old