Representative Gaetz was uncooperative throughout the Committee’s review. He provided minimal documentation in response to the Committee’s requests. He also did not agree to a voluntary interview. On July 11, 2024, the Committee issued a subpoena to Representative Gaetz for his testimony. He did not appear, despite having received notice of the date and time of the deposition. The Committee then sent Representative Gaetz a set of written questions, to which he issued a public response that ignored most of the direct questions about his misconduct and mischaracterized the Committee’s investigation and his participation up to that point. Despite Representative Gaetz’s claims to the contrary, the Committee’s singular mission is to protect the integrity of the House. When faced with serious public allegations against a Member, the Committee will often investigate, and when such allegations are false, the Committee has a shared goal with the respondent to disprove those allegations.
While the Committee considered whether to establish an investigative subcommittee to consider sanctions against Representative Gaetz, the Committee ultimately determined that it would not risk the further victimization of the women involved in this matter. Most of the women with whom the Committee spoke also gave statements to DOJ and urged the Committee to rely on those statements in lieu of requiring them to relive their experience. They were particularly concerned with providing additional testimony about a sitting congressman in light of DOJ’s lack of action on their prior testimony. DOJ refused to provide the relevant statements and other significant evidence to the Committee. DOJ cited internal policies about protecting uncharged subjects like Representative Gaetz, general concerns about how DOJ’s cooperation with the Committee may deter other victims in other matters, and various inapposite policies relating to congressional oversight of DOJ itself. DOJ’s initial deferral request and subsequent lack of cooperation with the Committee’s review caused significant delays in the investigation; those delays were compounded by Representative Gaetz’s obstructive efforts. The Committee has determined that its findings must be released without further impediments.
Accordingly, on December&bnsp;10, 2024, the Committee voted on whether to release this Report; although several Members did not support its release, a majority of the Members voted in favor of its release.
II. Procedural History
On April 9, 2021, the Committee publicly announced it was investigating allegations relating to Representative Gaetz, including whether he 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.[1] Shortly thereafter, DOJ requested that the Committee defer all investigation of Representative Gaetz. The Committee did so.
- ↑ Comm. on Ethics, Statement of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative Matt Gaetz (Apr. 9, 2021), https://ethics.house.gov/press-releases/statement-chairman-and-rankingmember-committee-ethics-regarding-representative-22. The Committee’s well-established precedent is to publicly announce its investigations when there are public allegations of sexual misconduct. See, e.g., Comm. on Ethics, Statement of the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ethics Regarding Representative John Conyers, Jr. (Nov. 21, 2017), https://ethics.house.gov/press-release/statement-chairwoman-and-ranking-member--
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