I was a bit surprised by this report of a few days ago:
Investigators from the House Ethics Committee have begun reaching out to witnesses as part of a recently revived investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, focused on allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use or other misconduct.
At least one witness in Florida told CNN they have spoken to investigators about the Republican congressman in recent weeks about alleged lobbying violations, and sources familiar with the Ethics Committee probe say other witnesses also have been contacted. [CNN/Politics]
But here’s the thing. Gaetz, one of the members of the Freedom Caucus, was also the principal ringleader of giving Rep McCarthy (R-CA) hell when he was up for election to the Speaker’s position, McCarthy’s ultimate goal. McCarthy had to go through 15 votes before finally winning, and it was mostly due to Gaetz’s antics.
And now that it’s Speaker McCarthy, he has outsized influence over who the Ethics Committee will investigate and, possibly, recommend for reprimand, censure, even … expel. It’s worth noting that Gaetz may be uniquely vulnerable.
How far will this go? I don’t know. The DOJ, run by Biden selection Merrick Garland, declined to prosecute Gaetz, reportedly because the primary witness, Gaetz friend and former tax collector Joel Greenberg, might have a plausibility problem if he testified for a jury. But here we’re not talking about a jury, we’re talking about a Congressional committee, and a Freedom Caucus member who’s made himself a target of the Speaker.
Of course, maybe the caucus would stand up for him, threatening to disrupt Congress if Gaetz is threatened.
There may be the seeds of a heckuva drama here.
And I can’t imagine why else an investigation would recommence, either.
