Aiexpress – Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, lashed out at the committee’s top Republican during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday.
“Word is, I now have problems with the Ethics Committee,” claimed the Florida Republican and close ally of former President Donald Trump. “Which seems really odd to me because I’m the one screaming loudest for actual ethics reforms.”
The House Ethics Committee is allegedly looking into Gaetz’s alleged sex crimes. Its investigation follows the Justice Department’s decision last year to conclude its investigation into the Florida representative without bringing charges. The DOJ was looking into whether Gaetz paid women for sex and traveled overseas to parties attended by underage kids.
Gaetz insisted that he did nothing illegal and described the Ethics Committee investigation as retaliation for leading the push to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
During his CPAC talk headlined “Burning Down the House,” Gaetz targeted House Ethics chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) for stock trading, which Guest has disclosed in his financial filings. Gaetz stated that Guest has “become a brilliant stock trader while in office.”
“For the same reason you don’t let the umpire bet on the game, members of Congress should not be allowed to trade individual stocks,” Gaetz went on to say. “How about the Ethics Committee take up those reforms?”
The guest’s crew did not immediately reply to calls for comment.
According to Business Insider, in 2021, Guest informed the Ethics Committee, on which he served at the time, of a family stock that he had forgotten to report. The guest paid a $200 charge for declaring the stock eight months late. However, Gaetz made no mention of the previous incident, focusing solely on his latest stock transactions.
“When I offer these critiques that include the conduct of some fellow Republicans, I catch a lot of heat,” Gaetz told CNN. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer to just fight the Democrats, but if the Republicans are going to dress up like Democrats in drag, then I will lead the fight against them too.”
