GOP-led Ethics Committee says it’s still investigating whether Matt Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct”

After he was ousted as Speaker of the House last year, Kevin McCarthy declared that representative Matt Gaetz led the effort to remove him from office in retaliation for the House Ethics Committee’s investigation of the Florida congressman. For his part, Gaetz asserted that McCarthy’s motivation for firing McCarthy was based entirely on policy concerns. But if he used to be hoping McCarthy’s death would mean the end of the investigation, clearly he was seriously mistaken!

In a statement released Tuesday, the ethics panel — which is specifically controlled by Republicans — said that it would not only continue to investigate Gaetz but also expand the investigation, write:

The Committee is considering allegations under Committee Rules 14(a)(3) and 18(a) that Representative Gaetz may have: sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepting inappropriate gifts and doling out perks and favors to individuals with whom he worked. had a personal relationship and sought to obstruct the government’s investigation into his conduct.

The commission noted that “the mere fact of the investigation into these allegations does not indicate that any violations occurred” and also said that it was no longer considering allegations that Gaetz “may have shared inappropriate photos or videos on the House floor, misuse of state identification records, diversion of campaign funds for personal use, and/or acceptance of bribes or improper gratuities.”

The ethics investigation into Gaetz initially began under the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; it was then suspended at the request of the Department of Justice, which was proceeding its own investigation into allegations that the Florida congressman paid for sex with a minor and violated federal sex trafficking laws. (Gaetz has repeatedly denied any allegations of wrongdoing.) In February 2023, prosecutors decision did not charge the Florida lawmaker, and soon after, the House reopened the investigation, according to the report contact witnesses as early as June 2023. Earlier this year, New York Times reported Gaetz’s old ally Joel Greenberg, Who pleaded guilty in 2021 on charges including sex trafficking, is cooperating with the Ethics Committee investigation.

On Monday, Gaetz went to X to tell his followers:

Last year, just weeks before resigning as congressman, McCarthy speak Politico, when asked about Florida Republicans in Congress: “You have a cross-section. You have Gaetz, who is in jail, and you have serious members.”

Not supporting Donald Trump for president is now a fireable offense, according to Donald Trump