By Paula Reid | CNNThe House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Matt Gaetz has reached out to an ex-girlfriend who was a key witness in the federal investigation into the Florida lawmaker, according to a source familiar with the ethics probe. Gaetz said in a statement to CNN that the Ethics Committee investigation is “payback” for Gaetz’s efforts to oust Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker of the house, and that he sees “through this sham and the American people will too.” The Ethics Committee declined to comment. The woman, a former Capitol Hill staffer, has been linked to Gaetz as far back as the summer of 2017. But McCarthy has repeatedly denounced those accusations and has said Gaetz worked to oust the former speaker because of the ethics probe. “It’s driven by Gaetz, and it was all based upon an ethics complaint that happened in the last Congress.

Source: CNN February 01, 2024 22:24 UTC