House Ethics Committee Opens Sexual Misconduct Probe Into Matt Gaetz — And Another GOP Congressman

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The House Ethics Committee said Friday it was investigating allegations of misconduct against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) — and announced that it was investigating another Republican, New York Rep. Tom Reed, for unrelated reasons.

The committee said it was “aware of public allegations” that Reed had engaged in sexual misconduct in violation of House “rules, laws, or other standards of conduct.” The Washington Post reported on allegations last month by a former lobbyist, Nicolette Davis, that Reed, 49, harassed her in 2017.

Davis, who was 25 at the time, said the incident happened at an Irish pub in Minneapolis when she was representing Aflac on a trip aimed a helping former Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN).  “A drunk congressman is rubbing my back,” she texted colleagues at the time. “HELP HELP.”

Gaetz, 38, has been under scrutiny since last month’s revelation the Justice Department was investigating him for a prior relationship with a 17-year-old girl. Numerous allegations against Gaetz about other forms of misconduct have emerged in more recent weeks, include some related to drug use and his use of campaign funds.

The Ethics Committee described some of those rumors in its announcement, saying its investigation would include whether Gaetz “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 committee emphasized that it was merely investigating the two members and “publicly disclosing its review,” but that the announcement did “not itself indicate” evidence of any allegations.