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 outreach, which has not previously been reported, is a sign that the GOP-led committee’s investigation into the Florida Republican has recently expanded to include questioning around allegations of sex crimes.
“If a request seems merited, as part of the usual accommodation process between the legislative and executive branches, DOJ will sometimes provide some information,” Eisen said, “but they tend to be withholding of sensitive investigative materials.”
Even when the House issues a subpoena, the Justice Department typically holds back much of their internal investigative materials, Eisen said.
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.
The Ethics Committee, controlled at the time by Democrats, originally opened its Gaetz investigation in 2021, publicly announcing that it was examining a range of allegations including that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, used illicit drugs, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims.
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.
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The outreach, which has not previously been reported, is a sign that the GOP-led committee’s investigation into the Florida Republican has recently expanded to include questioning around allegations of sex crimes.
“If a request seems merited, as part of the usual accommodation process between the legislative and executive branches, DOJ will sometimes provide some information,” Eisen said, “but they tend to be withholding of sensitive investigative materials.”
Even when the House issues a subpoena, the Justice Department typically holds back much of their internal investigative materials, Eisen said.
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.
The Ethics Committee, controlled at the time by Democrats, originally opened its Gaetz investigation in 2021, publicly announcing that it was examining a range of allegations including that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, used illicit drugs, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims.
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.
The original article contains 662 words, the summary contains 195 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!