The US House of Representatives opened an investigation into Matt Gaetz after allegations of sexual misconduct

An ethics committee of The United States House of Representatives on Friday opened an investigation into Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz on charges that link him to sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, campaign finance violations and other possible violations of federal law. and the rules of the House.

“The committee is aware of the allegations published about Representative Matt Gaetz, which violate House of Representatives rules, laws or other rules of conduct.”, said the head of this committee, Ted Deutch, according to CNN.

Former President Donald Trump’s leading ally Matt Gaetz is also under investigation by the United States Department of Justice for having inappropriately sex with a minor.

The same committee also announced that it had opened another investigation into New York Republican Representative Tom Reed, who announced a few weeks ago that he would not stand for re-election in 2022 after a charge. of sexual harassment has been made public in its against, as collected Bloomberg.

Gaetz denied the allegations and stated in the ‘Washington Examiner’ newspaper that “I never, ever paid for sex, and second, as a grown man, I haven’t slept with a 17-year-old.”

The Florida Democratic Party has called for the “immediate” resignation of Gaetz. However, this one pointed out that he does not intend to go “anywhere” and that he is not “a monk” but “not a criminal” either.

“I will fight like a demon for my clients and for the country that I love deeply. You deserve no less, especially now “Gaetz, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, wrote on Facebook on Monday. “The cycles of sex scandals in Washington are predictable and sex is particularly powerful in politics,” he added.

From the newspaper The New York Times unveiled last week the investigation weighing on Gaetz, this said he was the victim of an attempted extortion and dismissed his alleged guilt in the crime of sex trafficking. “Let me remind everyone that I am a representative in Congress, I am not a monk and I am certainly not a criminal,” he added.

According to the newspaper, Gaetz under FBI investigation into whether he was sexually trafficked for allegedly paying for trips to a 17-year-old girl he allegedly had a relationship with in 2019. It is a federal crime to transport a minor from one state to another for sexual purposes.

Chain CNN, citing “multiple sources,” reported last week that Gaetz used to brag about their conquests and show photos of naked women to other members of Congress.

Gaetz assures us that this is a “subject” of the investigation, not a “target”. In the US legal system, a person whose actions come within the scope of a criminal investigation are considered to be under investigation, while a target is a person on whom prosecutors have gathered evidence linking them. to a crime. During the investigation, the subject may become a target.

(With information from Europa Press)

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