After Rep. Matt Gaetz said the House Ethics Committee was opening a new investigation into him on Monday, the committee confirmed Tuesday that it is, indeed, continuing to look into the Florida Republican for a number of allegations, including “sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.”
In late 2020, the Department of Justice began investigating Gaetz over allegations that he had sex trafficked a minor. The DOJ announced in February 2023 that it was effectively closing the investigation without bringing charges. That freed up the Ethics Committee to recommence its own probe into Gaetz, after the Ethics panel had paused its investigation to defer the matter to the DOJ.
Now, more than a year later, the Ethics Committee said Tuesday it was still looking into allegations that Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”