House Expanding Trafficking Investigation Into Matt Gaetz

A Republican-led House investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is being expanded as the House Ethics Committee has reportedly contacted new witnesses. Per ABC News, the Committee has reached out to multiple people who have ties to the initial investigation into Gaetz by the Department of Justice.

House Ethics Committee Expands Investigation Into Matt Gaetz: Report https://t.co/Zi0jLYF1Fl pic.twitter.com/3rbyxYWSqh

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According to the news outlet, the Committee seems to be taking a step further in its investigation into the congressman by looking into the DOJ’s trafficking investigation into him.

Before now, the panel’s focus was on the lobbying investigation against Gaetz. However, having made contact with people connected to the DOJ’s investigation, it is expanding its look into the investigation it reopened in July 2023 after the DOJ asked it to defer the probe pending the results of its own years-long investigation.

Gaetz was accused of being part of a scheme that involved the trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. However, last February, the DOJ had ended the trafficking investigation into him without pressing any charges against him.

“The Department of Justice has confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes,” Gaetz’s office had said after the House moved to reexamine the allegations against him.

Gaetz has called the probe efforts to put him down for challenging the status quo and pushing for what he believes is right.

Defending himself last year, he said, “I was cleared by the Department of Justice and the FBI, who looked into my life for years. Now, I believe that the House Ethics Committee is trying to weaponize their process against me because every once in a while up here I’m a rabble-rouser and I don’t go along to get along. And right now, I’m forcing this body to have deal with our debt and our spending.”

“I think all the days in Congress, there are probably in the seven years I’ve been in Congress there have only been tens of days when I haven’t been under one form of ethics investigation or another,” he said further, maintaining his innocence by stating, “I’ve never been found to have violated any ethical laws. I won’t be found to have violated them in this matter either.”