Though he managed to not be criminally charged for allegedly engaging in the sexual trafficking of underage girls, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is once again under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for possible sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
CNN reports the committee’s investigation — which started in 2021 — has been revived after it was shut down when Republicans narrowly took control of the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterm election.
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.
The Ethics Committee, which at the time was controlled by Democrats, originally opened an investigation in 2021, publicly announcing that they were examining a range of allegations including that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims.
Gaetz insisted he wasn’t worried about being under investigation yet again.
“The Ethics Committee typically operates through leaks and so this is no surprise, but the Ethics Committee has never found me to be in violation of House rules, though they’ve been investigating me during my entire seven years in Congress,” he said. “It’s also funny that the one guy who doesn’t take the corrupt lobbyist and PAC money seems to be under the most Ethics investigation.”
The Florida Republican, you may recall, was suspected of having committed some very serious federal crimes.
The investigation into Gaetz came after allegations emerged that the he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The Justice Department investigated to determine if Gaetz had paid or illegally trafficked the girl to have sex. His ex-girlfriend was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony to a federal grand jury.
Had Gaetz been charged and found guilty of sexually trafficking an underage girl, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.
Gaetz also reportedly asked failed ex-president Donald Trump for a pardon in the final days of the administration.
