House continues Gaetz probe as new allegations emerge after earlier sexual misconduct, drug claims

The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday said it’s still looking into claims that Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use along with opening new probes in its long-running investigation of the lawmaker.

The Ethics Committee originally launched an inquiry into the Florida Republican in May 2021 after allegations arose that the lawmaker had sex with a minor, but took a back seat to the Justice Department after it requested to get involved. The House panel reopened its investigation last year after the DOJ declined to prosecute Mr. Gaetz.

Since reopening the investigation, the panel has found more alleged wrongdoing to explore.

“Based on its review to date, the committee has determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review,” the panel wrote in a statement.

The panel said it tacked on two new allegations: whether Mr. Gaetz gave special favors to people he knew personally and that he “sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

But the committee planned to drop its dive into whether Mr. Gaetz accepted a bribe or shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor.

Mr. Gaetz on Monday preemptively bashed the committee’s new examination.

“The House Ethics Committee has closed four probes into me, which emerged from lies intended solely to smear me,” Mr. Gaetz said on X. “Instead of working with me to ban congressional stock trading, the Ethics Committee is now opening new frivolous investigations. They are doing this to avoid the obvious fact that every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.”

He continued, “This is Soviet. Kevin McCarthy showed them the man, and they are now trying to find the crime. I work for Northwest Floridians who won’t be swayed by this nonsense, and McCarthy and his goons know it.”

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy alleged that Mr. Gaetz led the effort to oust him last October because of the ethics investigation. Mr. McCarthy claimed that the lawmaker wanted him to use his influence as speaker to stop the investigation, and that because he wouldn’t get involved, he got the boot.

“I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker,” Mr. McCarthy said during an interview at Georgetown University last month. “It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.

“An ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker, and that’s illegal and I’m not going to get in the middle. Did he do it or not? I don’t know, but [the Ethics Committee] is looking at it. There’s other people in jail because of it.”

The committee wrote that Mr. Gaetz “has categorically denied all of the allegations” before the panel, adding that members have interviewed more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas and reviewed thousands of pages of documents during the probe.

Members of the panel wrote in the statement that there has been an “unusual amount” of reporting on the probe and charged that many of the details have been incorrect.

The panel contended that its investigations are conducted confidentially but no rules stop witnesses from sharing information about the committee’s requests or conversations with investigators.

“The committee notes that the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred,” the panel wrote. “No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with committee rules.”