House Ethics panel investigating Matt Gaetz sex and drug claims now eyeing new allegations

Florida RepresentativeMatt Gaetz may not be facing charges from the Department of Justice, but he’s still in hot water with the House’s internal ethics watchdog when it comes to lurid accusations that have dogged him for years.

In an unusual press release, the House Ethics Committee confirmed that it was closing its probe into claims that Gaetz, a three-term congressman representing the Sunshine State’s first district, had showed colleagues pornographic materials while on the House floor, taken bribes, misused Florida identification records and stolen from campaign donors by using campaign funds on himself.

But the evenly-split, bipartisan panel — which has been investigating allegations against Gaetz since 2021 but paused the probe until the Department of Justice’s announcement last year that he would not face charges in a long-running investigation into sex trafficking allegations against him — also said its review of evidence had uncovered more claims against the self-described “firebrand” that warrant further investigative work.

“Notwithstanding the difficulty in obtaining relevant information from Representative Gaetz and others, the Committee has spoken with more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents in this matter.  Based on its review to date, the Committee has determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review.  During the course of its investigation, the Committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review,” the committee said.

The panel also revealed that it is continuing to investigate whether Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to