Rep. Tom Garrett Facing Two Ethics Probes

Rep. Tom Garrett is now facing two ethics probes for his alcoholism and allegedly using his staff to perform personal tasks for him, Politico reports. While he has denied using his staff to fetch groceries, pick up his kids and clean up after his dog, the House Ethics Committee and Office of Congressional Ethics are looking into the accusations. They are also reportedly looking into Garrett’s self-described alcoholism, and whether it “interfered with his work as a lawmaker.” Garrett’s office confirmed the ethics probes to Politico. Garrett announced in late May that he would not be running for reelection to seek help for his alcoholism, amid initial reports of him using his staff in a non-professional capacity. Republican officials were reportedly considering ousting Garrett–a freshman congressmen in the House Freedom Caucus–before his retirement announcement after they found his behavior “erratic.”