Ethics Committee investigates allegations against Matt Gaetz of sexual misconduct and drug abuse

WASHINGTON – The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday issued an unusual public update on its lengthy investigation into Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Its probe now includes whether Gaetz was guilty of sexual assault and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.

The committee also announced that it was no longer investigating four other allegations against the congressman, including allegations that he shared inappropriate images or videos with colleagues in the House of Representatives, accepted bribes or used campaign funds for personal purposes.

Gaetz categorically denied all allegations before the committee.

In a tweet on Monday that preceded the committee’s announcement, Gaetz pointed out that the ethics panel had closed four investigations and said those investigations were “born of lies whose sole purpose was to smear me.”

“Instead of working with me to ban stock trading in Congress, the Ethics Committee is now launching new, frivolous investigations. They are doing this to get around the obvious fact that any investigation into me will end the same way: my exoneration,” Gaetz said on the social platform X.

Gaetz led the effort to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall. Seven Republicans and 208 Democrats joined him in ousting McCarthy. Many Republicans in the House remain angry with Gaetz, arguing that McCarthy’s ouster was a selfish and destructive act that damaged the party.

Gaetz blamed McCarthy for the Ethics Committee’s investigation, even though the investigation began before Republicans gained control of the House.

“This is Soviet. Kevin McCarthy showed them the man and now they’re trying to expose the crime,” Gaetz wrote on X. “I work for Northwest Floridians who will not be swayed by this nonsense and McCarthy and his minions know it.”

The committee began its investigation of Gaetz in April 2021, postponed its work at the request of the Justice Department, and resumed its work in May of last year after the Justice Department withdrew its request for lawmakers to pause an investigation. That came shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had closed a sex trafficking investigation without filing charges against him.

The Ethics Committee said that despite difficulties in obtaining relevant information from Gaetz and others, it spoke to more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas and reviewed thousands of pages of documents.

Among other things, the committee is investigating whether Gaetz “granted special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship.”

The ethics committee noted that the existence of an investigation alone is not an indication that any laws or house rules have been violated. The statement said there would be no further public comment on the matter.

By KEVIN FREKING, Associated Press