The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it was opening investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct against Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Tom Reed.
The probes come amid a Department of Justice investigation into Gaetz’s travel to the Bahamas with women, and specifically whether those women were paid to travel for sex, which could violate federal law, NBC News has previously reported.
Federal investigators are also looking into whether Gaetz, R-Fla., and one of his associates used the internet to search for women they could pay for sex, NBC reported.
Gaetz has not been charged with any crime and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Reed, a Republican from western New York, was accused last month of rubbing a female lobbyist’s back and unhooking her bra without her consent in 2017. He later apologized to the woman and announced that he will not run for re-election next year.
Garrett Haake contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
