“The committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have had sexual misconduct and / or illegal drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the floor of the house, misused state identifications, converted campaign funds for personal use and / or ‘ “accepting bribes, improper gratuities or unacceptable gifts, in violation of house rules, laws, or other standards of conduct,” Florida ethics chairman Ted Deutch and Indiana Reigning Republican Jackie Walorski said in a joint statement Friday.
Federal investigators are investigating allegations that Gaetz had sex with an underage girl who was then 17 and with other women who obtained drugs and money in violation of sex trafficking and prostitution laws. Joel Greenberg, a Gaetz associate, is likely to enter into a plea deal with federal prosecutors over the charges he faces, his attorney and prosecutors said in court Thursday, possibly putting additional legal pressure on the congressman.
Gaetz denied any wrongdoing. He is making his first public appearance since a Fox News interview he did last week, hours after the investigation became known.
Gaetz’s office said in a statement on Friday: “Once again the office will repeat, these allegations are blatantly false and have not been confirmed by a single person willing to put their name behind them.”
The House Ethics Committee also investigated a CNN report last week that Gaetz shared images of naked women with his colleagues, including while he was on the house floor. Two sources told CNN that Gaetz showed them the images.
The House Ethics Committee often casts its own investigations or conflicts with the Department of Justice while a federal investigation is underway.
The ethics committee’s investigation into Reed stems from a former lobbyist who accused Reed in a Washington Post report last month of sexual misconduct at a pub in Minnesota. After the allegation became public, Reed apologized, saying he accepted ‘full responsibility’ and announced he would not seek office in 2022.