WASHINGTON — In an unusual public statement on Tuesday, the House Ethics Committee said it is expanding an investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz amid allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use and a range of other eyebrow-raising claims.
The committee said it is dropping its probe of other allegations against Gaetz, including whether he shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor; misused state identification records; converted campaign funds to personal use; and accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.All of these investigations “emerged from lies intended solely to smear me,” Gaetz said. “They are doing this to avoid the obvious fact that every investigation into me ends the same way: my exoneration.
The ethics committee launched its probe in 2021 but paused it while the Department of Justice pursued similar allegations against Gaetz until 2023, when it notified that congressman that he wouldn’t face prosecution.