The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Rep. Matt Gaetz used illegal narcotics while serving in Congress, according to various sources familiar with the investigation.
According to sources, committee investigators are looking into whether Gaetz was under the influence of narcotics at Florida parties after becoming a member of Congress in 2017.
According to a sworn written statement obtained by the Ethics Committee, a woman claims that in the summer of 2017, when she was 20 years old, she attended a party in Florida that Gaetz also attended, which featured alcohol and drugs such as cocaine and MDMA, sources familiar with the committee’s work told ABC News.
According to the woman’s sworn statement, which was not previously reported, the party was attended by the then-minor, who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into allegations that the Florida Congressman had sex with her when she was 17, as well as Gaetz.
According to the statement provided to the committee, sources said the woman who made the statement—who ABC News is not identifying—said she saw the then-minor naked at the party, which was also attended by adult men other than Gaetz, and that there were bedrooms set aside for sexual activities at the party.
Gaetz has frequently denied any wrongdoing, including allegations that he had sex with a juvenile. In 2023, the Justice Department informed Gaetz that it would not pursue charges against him.
Though the statement obtained by Congress mentions Gaetz, it was not written expressly for the Ethics Committee and is not primarily about the congressman, and the lady does not explain whether or not she was aware of Gaetz’s alleged sexual encounters with the then-minor, sources said.
When asked if Rep. Gaetz remembered attending the 2017 party, his spokesperson told ABC News, “No.” The spokeswoman also responded “no” when asked if Gaetz has taken illegal narcotics since becoming a member of Congress.
A spokesperson for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment.
The sworn declaration depicts Gaetz at a party with the then-minor, whom Gaetz has denied having a relationship with and previously claimed “doesn’t exist” when asked about the claims on Fox News in March 2021.
“The person doesn’t exist,” Gaetz told Tucker Carlson. “I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old; that is totally false.”
Attorneys for Gaetz’s longtime friend, Chris Dorworth, who claims she and others defamed him during the Justice Department investigation, subpoenaed him as a witness in a civil action in March. Gaetz is not a party to the litigation. The congressman may question Gaetz under oath regarding allegations that he engaged in sexual intercourse with the lady when she was a child during his scheduled deposition in June.
Last week, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made headlines when he asserted that his removal was due to his refusal to end the ongoing House Ethics investigation into Gaetz.
“I’ll tell you the truth about why I’m not speaking,” McCarthy stated at a Georgetown University event. “It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old.”
Gaetz commented on X, also known as Twitter, saying, “Kevin McCarthy is a liar.” That is why he is no longer a speaker.
According to sources, the House Ethics investigation against Gaetz has advanced in recent weeks, with investigators reaching out to more individuals, including young women who allegedly received payment for attending sex parties from Gaetz’s former close friend Joel Greenberg.
According to sources, committee investigators have asked witnesses if they saw or knew about Gaetz using or acquiring narcotics on his own.
The committee’s inquiry into Gaetz’s alleged drug use comes weeks after the Florida congressman questioned President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, about his own admitted drug use at a closed-door session with the House Oversight Committee.
During Hunter Biden’s interview with the committee, Gaetz inquired whether he was “on drugs” while working on the board of a Ukrainian energy business. The president’s son said, “Mr. Gaetz, look me in the eyes. Do you really believe it’s appropriate to ask me that?
The House Ethics Committee subpoenaed Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend for testimony, which she provided in late February, according to a previous ABC News report.
ABC News also reported that the committee had discovered texts allegedly showing Gaetz arranging a trip to the Florida Keys with a separate lady for sex, which Greenberg paid for.
At the time, a Gaetz representative told ABC News, “Rep. Gaetz had no awareness of Mr. Greenberg’s activities and was not participating in them.” Representative Gaetz has never paid for sex. Rep. Gaetz has no idea who the woman in question is, despite the fact that he snaps thousands of selfies each year.
Gaetz has accused the Ethics Committee of “trying to weaponize their process.”
“The Ethics Committee is engaging in payback against me for ousting the person who singularly appointed every Republican—Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz previously stated in an ABC News statement.
