Is the House Ethics Committee Coming for Matt Gaetz, George Santos–Style?

In February, the Department of Justice informed Representative Matt Gaetz’s lawyers that it would not be bringing criminal charges against him following an investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and various other wrongdoing, allegations that Gaetz has always denied. Presumably, this news came as a huge sigh of relief to the GOP congressman, as even self-described “firebrand[s]” do not want to do time in prison. Yet while the Florida lawmaker may be in the clear from actual prosecution, at least one probe into his actions is still active—and seemingly heating up.

CNN reports that the House Ethics Committee—currently controlled by Republicans—has “reached out to at least one witness as part of its investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to schedule an interview in the coming weeks, the latest sign that the once dormant probe remains open.” That official request, according to CNN, went out one day before the House voted to boot George Santos from Congress, following the release of an extremely damning report from the committee that is now, it seems, turning its attention to Gaetz. Among other things, the report accused Santos of engaging in criminal activity, including ripping off donors and spending their cash on Botox and OnlyFans. (Santos has denied everything and pleaded not guilty to federal charges in October.) Gaetz voted against expelling Santos from Congress and argued on the House floor that kicking out the serial liar and accused criminal before an official conviction would be an “incredible violation of precedent” that would do “grave damage” to the House of Representatives.

As CNN notes, the House Ethics Committee, then controlled by Democrats, initially opened its investigation into Gaetz in 2021, saying it was looking into allegations that the congressman “may have engaged in sexual 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.” The DOJ later asked the committee to pause its probe, which was revived in July. Asked about the investigation on Thursday, Gaetz told CNN, “Oh, please” and “I wish them luck.”

Last month, in an interview with Politico, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy—who lost his leadership role thanks to Gaetz—said the Florida congressman “belongs in jail.” In a separate interview with the Daily Mail, McCarthy remarked: “From what people have said and written about it, it seems even worse than Santos.” McCarthy also suggested on Fox News last month that the same fate that befell Santos could happen to Gaetz: