What allegations are Rep. Matt Gaetz facing? House Ethics investigators launch probe into Congressman’s purported deeds

House Ethics Committee investigators are ramping up their probe into the allegations against Florida Representative Matthew Louis Gaetz II, popularly known as Matt Gaetz. ABC News and CNN reported that the committee approached multiple witnesses. The committee probe into Gaetz was initially started by the House Democrats back in 2021.

Matt Gaetz faces allegations of having s*xual relations with a minor and trafficking the girl across state lines. The Department of Justice had conducted a yearslong investigation into the claims but had decided not to charge the Florida representative last year. Gatez has publicly denied the allegations against him.

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Matt Gaetz vs the House Ethics Committee

Toward the end of Donald Trump's administration in 2020, Attorney General Bill Barr opened an investigation into allegations that Matt Gaetz allegedly had s*xual contact with a 17-year-old minor, engaged in possible s*x trafficking, possible lobbying violations, and obstruction of justice.

After years of investigation, the DOJ laid the case to rest when they announced, only last year, that Gaetz would not be facing any charges. Along with the DOJ investigation, the Democratic House Ethics Committee of 2021 had also announced they were looking into the allegations against Gaetz in April of the year.

A statement released by the committee back then stated that the committee was aware of the allegations against Representative Matt Gaetz, including having allegedly engaged in,

"S*xual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct."

However, in January of 2023, the committee said in a statement that the investigation was not complete as it had been deferred at the request of the Department of Justice. Despite the DOJ's acquittal of Gaetz and the initial deferral, the ethics committee seems to be ramping up its investigations into the Florida representative.

According to a CNN report published on Wednesday, January 24, the ethics committee reportedly reached out to the then-17-year-old minor, now a woman whom the Florida representative allegedly had s*xual relations with. The committee also contacted the Department of Justice to provide information from its now-defunct investigation on Gaetz.

According to People magazine, the allegations against Gaetz came from an investigation on Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector and Seminole County GOP official. He was also once a close friend of Rep. Matt Gaetz. CBS News sources cited that the 17-year-old woman in question had been introduced to Gaetz by Joel Greenberg.

On the other hand, Greenberg pleaded guilty to six federal charges back in 2021. One of the charges was for trafficking a minor. CNN reported that Greenberg had reportedly solicited the services of the very same 17-year-old, introduced her to customers whom she engaged in intercourse with, and even allegedly paid her. In 2022, Joel Greenberg received an 11-year prison sentence.

In response to the House Ethics Committee's probe, Matt Gaetz continued to deny the allegations. CNN quoted him as saying on Wednesday,

"Those allegations were not true, have never been true, and the people who spread those lies have been exposed, indicted, and imprisoned."

According to ABC News, Greenberg, who had pledged assistance to the DOJ's Matt Gaetz investigation, had also been contacted by the House Ethics Committee. Greenberg's attorney, Fritz Scheller, told the outlet that he could not confirm or deny being approached by the House Ethics Committee.