House Ethics Committee expands investigation into Matt Gaetz to include further allegations • Michigan Advance

WASHINGTON – The House Ethics Committee released a statement Tuesday saying it has “identified additional allegations that require review” based on its investigation into earlier allegations that Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida engaged in inappropriate sexual relations and violated rules by accepting gifts.

The committee is investigating allegations that Gaetz may have “engaged in sexual assault and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.”

In response to States Newsroom’s request for comment, Gaetz’s office referred to a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Gaetz described the additional allegations the committee is reviewing as “new, non-serious investigations,” but did not elaborate on what the new investigations were.

“Representative Gaetz has categorically denied all allegations before the committee,” the committee said in a statement.

“Despite difficulties in obtaining relevant information from Representative Gaetz and others, the Committee has spoken with more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents related to this matter,” the statement continued.

The House Ethics Committee did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment on the new investigations.

The committee began its investigation into Gaetz in 2021 after multiple Daily Beast reports accused the Florida Republican of being involved in sex trafficking and illegal drug use. CNN also reported that Gaetz showed other lawmakers in the House nude photos of women he allegedly slept with.

The committee referred the case to the Justice Department, which was asked by the agency to seek permission to investigate whether Gaetz had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl and whether his dealings with other women violated prostitution and federal sex trafficking laws.

The Justice Department later declined to file charges, and following that announcement, the House committee reopened the investigation last year.

The allegations on which the committee is taking no further action include “allegations that he may have shared inappropriate images or videos in the House chamber, misused government identification documents, used campaign funds for personal purposes, and/or accepted bribes or inappropriate gratuities.”

“The Committee notes that the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not mean that a violation has occurred,” the Committee said.