In a rare move, the House Ethics Committee provided an update on the ongoing investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. The committee has expanded its review to include allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use, the acceptance of improper gifts, and attempts to obstruct government investigations into his behavior.
In addition, the committee made it clear that they have concluded their review of four separate allegations against the congressman. These allegations include sharing inappropriate images or videos with colleagues on the House floor, as well as accepting a bribe or converting campaign funds for personal use. It is important to note that the committee’s decision to stop reviewing these allegations does not necessarily indicate innocence or guilt on the part of the congressman.
Related posts
During the committee hearing, Gaetz firmly denied all the allegations made against him.
On Monday, Gaetz took to Twitter to announce the closure of four probes by the ethics panel. He emphasized that those investigations were initiated based on false accusations that were aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
On the social platform X, Gaetz expressed his disappointment towards the Ethics Committee for not cooperating with him to ban Congressional stock trading. He accused them of opening new frivolous investigations to distract from the fact that every investigation against him ends with his exoneration.
Last fall, Gaetz spearheaded the movement to remove then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. 208 Democrats and seven Republicans supported Gaetz in his effort to depose McCarthy. However, several House Republicans still hold a grudge against Gaetz, claiming that McCarthy’s removal was a self-centered and harmful decision that damaged the party.
Although the investigation into Gaetz began before Republicans took the majority in the House, he placed the blame for the Ethics Committee’s review on McCarthy.
On X, Gaetz wrote that the man is being scrutinized for Soviet connections, and McCarthy and his allies are attempting to find any wrongdoing. Gaetz affirmed that he represents the people of Northwest Florida who won’t be influenced by this baseless accusation, and McCarthy and his cohorts are aware of it.
In April 2021, the committee initiated an investigation into Gaetz, but later put it on hold upon receiving a request from the Justice Department. The committee resumed its review in May 2021 after the DOJ withdrew its request to delay the investigation. Interestingly, this was around the same time that Gaetz declared that the Justice Department had concluded its sex trafficking inquiry and found no evidence to charge him.
According to the ethics committee, they managed to speak with over a dozen witnesses and obtain thousands of pages of documents, despite facing difficulties in obtaining pertinent information from Gaetz and his associates. Additionally, they have issued 25 subpoenas as a part of their investigation.
The committee is currently looking into whether Gaetz provided “special privileges and favors” to individuals he had a personal relationship with.
According to the ethics committee, it is important to note that the mere presence of an investigation does not necessarily imply the occurrence of any wrongdoing or violation of House rules. The committee also stated that they will refrain from making any further public statements regarding the matter.
