The House Ethics Committee is opening an investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz after it was revealed that the Justice Department is looking into whether he had sex with a minor and violated sex trafficking laws.
The Florida Republican, who denies the allegations, also reportedly showed sexually explicit photos to colleagues on the House floor and bragged about his sexual endeavors and may have misused campaign funds to pay for travel expenses for women.
“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 ethics panel said in a statement.
The panel, chaired by Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida, said it understands the accusations against Gaetz are allegations and do not indicate a violation of committee rules at this time.
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Gaetz claimed that his family was targeted by a $25 million extortion scheme, though the people he has named have denied there was extortion, accusing the lawmaker of staging a distraction.
In another press release on Friday, the House Ethics Committee announced a separate investigation into Rep. Tom Reed, a New York Republican, over allegations that he sexually harassed a former lobbyist named Nicolette Davis in 2017.
“The committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Tom Reed may have engaged in sexual misconduct, in violation of House rules, laws, or other standards of conduct,” the committee said.
Reed initially denied the allegation, but he later issued an apology to Davis. Reed said he would not seek reelection or run for any other public office next year.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Gaetz’s and Reed’s offices for comment in response to the House Ethics Committee announcements.
