The House Ethics Committee is probing Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) over a number of salacious allegations, including that he used illegal drugs and engaged in sexual misconduct.
On April 9, 2021, the bipartisan committee began looking into allegations that Gaetz had been paying for sex with teenagers, drug trafficking, accepting bribes, sharing inappropriate material on the House floor, and other conduct issues.
The committee deferred to the Department of Justice to investigate the allegations, but the criminal probe did not produce any charges.
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However, the ethics committee did not halt its investigation into Gaetz after the DOJ reauthorized the committee to continue its investigation.
On Tuesday, the panel confirmed that it was continuing its investigation into Gaetz’ alleged behavior, according to a statement put out by the committee. It did drop the allegations that Gaetz “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.”
The committee added they have identified new potential misconduct issues after reviewing more than a thousand pages of material related to the investigation, 25 subpoenas and interviews with more than a dozen witnesses.
The newest allegations from the committee claim that Gaetz used his position to do favors for friends and family and sought to obstruct investigations into his misconduct.
The major allegations, that came out when Gaetz’s friend and former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, went to prison for six federal crimes including sex trafficking minors. Some of the women who testified in the case told CNN that Greenberg was paying minors and women to attend sex parties attended by both Gaetz and Greenberg.
One woman, who testified in the Greenberg case, was 17-years-old at the time when she alleges Gaetz, double her age at the time, paid to have sex with her in 2017. Gaetz has denied the allegation, but both witnesses and Greenberg’s confession letter corroborate the allegation.
Gaetz’s Venmo history also seems to corroborate the allegations, although no charges have been filed against the congressman.
