The US House of Representatives opened an investigation into Matt Gaetz after allegations of sexual misconduct

An Ethics Committee of the United States House of Representatives opened an investigation on Friday into the Republican congressman, Matt Gaetz, for accusations that link him to sexual misconduct, use of illicit drugs, campaign financing violations and other possible violations of the federal law and the rules of the House.

“The committee is aware of the allegations published about Representative Matt Gaetz, which violate the rules of the House of Representatives, laws or other rules of conduct”, has stated the head of this committee, Ted Deutch, according to CNN.

Matt Gaetz, the prominent ally of former President Donald Trump, is also being investigated by the United States Department of Justice for having an inappropriate sexual encounter with a minor.

This same committee has also announced that it has opened another investigation into the Republican representative for New York, Tom Reed, who announced a few weeks ago that he will not stand for re-election in 2022 after an accusation about sexual harassment was made public in his against, as collected Bloomberg.

Gaetz has denied these allegations and has said in the ‘Washington Examiner’ newspaper that “I have never, never paid for sex, and second, as a grown man, I have not slept with a 17-year-old.”

The Florida Democratic Party called for the “immediate” resignation of Gaetz. However, the aforementioned stressed that he does not think of going “anywhere” and that he is not “a monk” but “not a criminal” either.

“I am going to fight like a demon for my clients and for the country that I love deeply. You don’t deserve less, especially now.” Gaetz, a fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, wrote on Facebook on Monday. “Cycles of sex scandals in Washington are predictable and sex is especially potent in politics,” he added.

Since the diary The New York Times uncovered last week the investigation that weighs on Gaetz, this has stated that he is the victim of an extortion attempt and has rejected his alleged guilt of the crime of sex trafficking.

“Let me remind everyone that I am a representative in Congress, I am not a monk and I am certainly not a criminal,” he added.

According to the newspaper, Gaetz is being investigated by the FBI to determine if he incurred in sex trafficking for allegedly having paid trips to a 17-year-old girl with whom he allegedly had relationships in 2019. Transporting a minor from one state to another for sexual purposes is a federal crime.

Chain CNN, citing “multiple sources,” reported last week that Gaetz used to brag about their conquests and show photos of naked women to other members of Congress.

Gaetz assures that a “subject” of the investigation, not a “target”. In the United States legal system, someone whose actions fall within the scope of a criminal investigation is considered the subject of an investigation, while a target is someone on whom prosecutors have gathered evidence linking them to a crime.

During the investigation, the subject can become a target.