Daily US Times: On Friday, the House ethics committee announced that it will open an investigation into the Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, amid a widening scandal against him involving allegations related to sex trafficking.
The committee said in a statement that it was aware of the public allegations that Gaetz, a close ally of Donald Trump, may have 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, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct.”
Since the New York Times reported that Gaetz, the 38-year-old Florida congressman, was under investigation by the Department of Justice over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, he has faced a torrent of accusations ranging from alleged sexual misconduct to accusations of impropriety.
The Republican congressman has forcefully denied all the allegations against him.
He is also now facing calls to resign from a member of his Republican Party.
A Republican from Illinois, Adam Kinzinger, wrote: “Matt Gaetz needs to resign” in a tweet posted on Thursday, linking to a Daily Beast article which claims Gaetz paid $900 to an accused sex trafficker.
The congressman has refused to resign, despite calls from Democrats, but will face renewed scrutiny after Kinzinger became the first prominent Republican Party member to also demand Gaetz resign.
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