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☆ House Ethics Committee expands Rep. Matt Gaetz sexual misconduct investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday it has identified "additional allegations" against Rep. Matt Gaetz "that merit review," as it continues to investigate the Florida Republican over claims of what it called "sexual misconduct and illicit drug use." The Ethics Committee said it is now eyeing claims that Gaetz — who denies wrongdoing — "dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct." The ethics panel also said it had difficulty in obtaining relevant information from Gaetz and others since the probe began in April 2021 amid a federal criminal sex trafficking investigation of Gaetz and a friend, Joel Greenberg. "During the course of its investigation, the Committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review," despite the difficulty of getting information from Gaetz, the Ethics Committee said. Gaetz's fate and the outcome of the ethics probe carry more weight now that Republicans have only a paper-thin majority in the House of Representatives.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy's, Gaetz —, Joel Greenberg, Greenberg, Gaetz, McCarthy Organizations: Rep, U.S, Capitol, Florida Republican, Gaetz, Florida congressman, California Republican, Republicans, Representatives, GOP Locations: Washington, Florida, Gaetz, California

☆ House Ethics Committee continues investigating Matt Gaetz but closes some portions of its probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The House Ethics Committee announced Tuesday that it will continue to investigate certain allegations surrounding Rep. Matt Gaetz, including whether the Florida Republican engaged in sexual misconduct, while ending other portions of the probe. In a rare statement updating its work, the bipartisan committee stated some of the allegations against Gaetz “merit continued review” and it has “also identified additional allegations” that warrant investigating. But McCarthy has repeatedly denounced those accusations and has said Gaetz worked to oust him because of the ethics probe. In late 2020, under Trump-appointed Attorney General Bill Barr, the Justice Department opened an investigation into allegations Gaetz may have had sexual contact with a minor. A source familiar with the House panel’s work previously told CNN that the Justice Department’s decision not to bring charges against Gaetz does not impact what the committee will and won’t investigate.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, “, ” Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, Bill Barr, Joel Greenberg, Department’s, won’t Organizations: CNN, Florida Republican, Department of Justice, Gaetz, California Republican, Northwest Floridians, Trump, Justice Department, DOJ Locations: Florida, California

A lawyer for the chief witness against Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, said on Friday that the witness was cooperating with a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether Mr. Gaetz had sex with an underage girl while he was serving in Congress. Fritz Scheller, a lawyer for Mr. Gaetz’s former friend and political ally Joel Greenberg, said he provided documents to the committee that he said backed up his client’s claims that he witnessed Mr. Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old girl. Greenberg has and will cooperate with any congressional request,” Mr. Scheller said in an email on Friday. Mr. Greenberg, who pleaded guilty in May 2021 to charges including sex trafficking, is serving an 11-year prison sentence. He had previously cooperated with a Justice Department investigation into whether Mr. Gaetz had engaged in sex trafficking of a minor, a federal offense that carries a minimum of 10 years in prison.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, Fritz Scheller, Gaetz’s, Joel Greenberg, “ Mr, Greenberg, ” Mr, Scheller, Mr Organizations: Republican, Justice Department Locations: Florida

☆ Exclusive: House ethics probe of Gaetz seeks information from DOJ and woman who allegedly had sex with congressman as a minor
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Paula Reid | Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Matt Gaetz has reached out to the woman whom the congressman allegedly had sexual relations with when she was a 17-year-old minor, according to a source familiar with the committee’s work. The federal probe, which also included allegations he had sex with a minor, concluded in 2023 with no charges brought against the congressman. The increased activity under Republican leadership is notable given the committee probe was started by House Democrats in 2021. But McCarthy has repeatedly denounced those accusations and has said Gaetz worked to oust the former speaker because of the ethics probe. The probe expanded over the years before the Justice Department officially decided last year not to charge the congressman.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, ” Gaetz, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, ” McCarthy, “, Norman Eisen, Donald Trump’s, ” Eisen, Eisen, ”, Bill Barr, Joel Greenberg, Department’s, won’t Organizations: GOP, Florida Republican, Justice Department, CNN, Justice, Republican, House Democrats, Department of Justice, Democrats, DOJ, Trump, Gaetz Locations: Florida, California

☆ Ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy says fellow GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz 'belongs in jail'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Nearly two months ago, Matt Gaetz kicked off the process to oust McCarthy as speaker of the House. McCarthy said he now thinks Matt Gaetz "belongs in jail." AdvertisementIt's been nearly two months since former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was ousted from his leadership role after fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz forced a House vote on the matter, and there's clearly still bad blood between the two legislators. In an interview with Politico, McCarthy said he thinks Gaetz is more fit for a penitentiary than an office at the Capitol. AdvertisementWhile it's unclear exactly what specific allegations McCarthy was alluding to, Gaetz has a history of run-ins with police and investigators.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, McCarthy, —, It's, Kevin McCarthy, Gaetz, there's, Joel Greenberg, Axios Organizations: Service, Republican, Politico, Capitol, Sunshine State, House, GOP Locations: Florida, Washington ,

U.S. Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) delivers remarks in the House Chamber during the fourth day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Department of Justice has decided not to criminally charge Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., in the agency's two-year probe of alleged sex trafficking, his lawyers said Wednesday. The DOJ's decision was not a surprise, as nearly two years had passed without prosecutors filing charges against Gaetz, despite obtaining cooperation in their probe from his former friend, disgraced Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg. Gaetz's office in a statement, said, "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." The Washington Post in September reported that career prosecutors had recommended against charging Gaetz due to concerns about Greenberg and another potential witness.

The ex-Florida tax collector whose arrest led to a federal investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a former friend, was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and other offenses. Prosecutors said Greenberg paid at least one minor to have sex with him and other men. Joel Greenberg, then the Seminole County tax collector, during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla., in 2019. His cooperation with federal officials could play a role in an investigation into whether Gaetz allegedly sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl. Greenberg’s scandal-plagued term as Seminole County tax collector started in 2017, around the time he and Gaetz became friends.

☆ Former Florida tax official and ex-Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg sentenced to 11 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A federal judge sentenced former Florida tax official Joel Greenberg to 11 years in prison. Greenberg was a longtime associate of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz before he struck a plea deal last year. Before striking a plea deal, Greenberg was a close associate of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Greenberg's plea deal said he conducted 150 financial transactions totaling $70,000 between December 2016 and December 2018 to pay women for "commercial sex acts." "Those who told lies about Congressman Matt Gaetz are going to prison, and Congressman Matt Gaetz is going back to Congress to continue fighting for America," a spokesperson for Gaetz's office previously told Insider.

☆ The Justice Department's sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz seems stalled, attorneys say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +21 min

Those included a stalking charge for falsely smearing a political rival as a pedophile, identity theft and sex trafficking the same 17-year-old who is the alleged victim in the Gaetz case. The alleged victim, who turned 18 in December 2017, did not answer requests for comment from NBC News. Also according to that plea agreement, the alleged victim falsely claimed she was of age on her SeekingArrangement profile. The Gaetz investigation became public in March 2021, after The New York Times reported the general contours of the investigation. The potential witnesses in the federal government’s inquiry into Gaetz is not limited to Greenberg, the alleged victim and Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend.

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