The House Ethics Committee has re-opened its investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who previously was also under investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Justice over whether or not he had sexual relations with a 17-year old minor and paid for her to travel with him.
“Investigators from the House Ethics Committee have begun reaching out to witnesses as part of a recently revived investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, focused on allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use or other misconduct,” CNN reports Thursday.
DOJ’s reported decision to not prosecute Rep. Gaetz is not affecting the Ethics Committee’s decision to re-open its own investigation.
“A source familiar with the House panel’s work told CNN that the Justice Department’s decision not to bring charges against Gaetz does not impact what the committee will and won’t investigate. The committee plans to examine the same allegations they were looking into when they opened the investigation in 2021, the source told CNN.”
On April 9, 2021, the House Ethics Committee in a press release wrote: “The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct. The Committee, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), has begun an investigation and will gather additional information regarding the allegations.”
Five days later a bombshell CNN report cited women who alleged Gaetz was present at parties where he sometimes took “pills she believed were recreational drugs.”
“After some parties, money would change hands,” that CNN report also stated. “According to receipts reviewed by CNN, Gaetz and his associate Joel Greenberg, a former county tax commissioner indicted last year on multiple federal charges, used digital payment applications to send hundreds of dollars to at least one woman who attended the parties.”
That report also had stated, “Federal investigators are examining whether Gaetz engaged in a relationship with a woman that began when she was 17, according to people familiar with the investigation. The investigators have also pursued allegations from witnesses and other evidence that Gaetz may have used cash and drugs in his dealings with the young women.”
Gaetz, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, had sought a pardon from the then-president before he left office, according to The Washington Post. He did not receive one.
In February, Gaetz’s attorneys stated the Dept. of Justice had informed them their client would not be prosecuted. The DOJ, which generally does not comment on investigations, did not comment on the attorneys’ remarks, The New York Times had reported.
Just prior to The Times’ report, CNN in February had reported DOJ leadership had made the decision to not prosecute. “Senior officials reached out to lawyers for multiple witnesses on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, to inform them of the decision not to prosecute Gaetz.”
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.