‘He is hated’: Congress floats idea of expelling Gaetz pending ethics investigation

After becoming the first Congressman ever to successfully push through a motion to oust the speaker of the House, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, could make history again by becoming the seventh congressman to be expelled in U.S. history.

Gaetz led a handful of Republicans in removing former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top position in the House in October.

Now, after voting to expel embattled former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from his seat in the House, Republican lawmakers could be ready to move on an ongoing investigation by the House Ethics Committee against Gaetz should it discover any wrongdoings.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating several allegations against Gaetz, including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds.

On the House floor, Gaetz said he would not defend Santos, but did voice concerns about the precedent that would be set if Congress removed a member before they had been convicted of a crime.

However, anonymous members of Congress who spoke with USA Today said a lot of forethought had been considered before the vote, including what would happen to Gaetz when his report comes out.

One Republican said that GOP lawmakers were much more “excited” to expel Gaetz than Santos. Another said that many lawmakers are biding their time for the release of the ethics report before publicly calling for ousting Gaetz.

“If there’s anything in there that’s bad, I can guarantee people will have their fangs out. He is hated in our conference,” the House Republican said of the GOP conference’s attitude towards Gaetz. “If he comes back as guilty in this ethics thing, I think he’s in trouble.”

What is the House Ethics Committee?

Often referred to as the Ethics Committee, the House Ethics Committee is a bipartisan panel equally divided between Republicans and Democrats that sets rules regulating what behavior is considered ethical for its members, conducts investigations into members who may have violated those standards, recommends actions against members who violated those standards and counsels members before they take action that could have ethical implications.

Gaetz next on chopping block? 'He is hated': House Republicans secretly consider expelling Matt Gaetz after booting George Santos

Matt Gaetz controversies throughout the years

Gaetz is no stranger to controversy, the first of which started in 2008 and involved a DUI charge that was subsequently dropped. He became embroiled in more controversy after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election and Gaetz positioned himself as one of his biggest supporters.

Gaetz introduced legislation to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency

One of his first acts as a congressman was introducing legislation in February 2017 that would abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal garnered very little support from his colleagues and stalled on the House floor, but it made national headlines nonetheless.

Gaetz cast lone no vote on anti-human trafficking bill

Later that year in December, Gaetz cast the lone no vote on an anti-human trafficking bill that easily sailed through both houses of Congress on Dec. 19. Gaetz said at the time, from a Facebook Live session in his living room, that he voted no because, despite best intentions of the bill, it represented "mission creep" at the federal level in creating the committee.

Gaetz invited alt-right activist and racist internet troll to State of the Union

In February 2018, Gaetz was once again under fire for inviting an infamous alt-right activist and racist internet troll Chuck Johnson to the State of the Union address in Washington D.C. Gaetz claimed at the time he had no idea who Johnson was and he gave him a ticket after he showed up at Gaetz's office before the speech Tuesday.

Gaetz accused of witness intimidation over Michael Cohen tweet

Some members of Congress accused Gaetz of attempting to intimidate a witness on Feb. 26, 2019, when he sent out a tweet about Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen that implied he had multiple extramarital affairs and suggested his wife might be unfaithful while he was imprisoned due to new information disclosed to her. Gaetz eventually deleted the tweet and apologized.

Gaetz crashes Cohen’s hearing

Gaetz continued to make headlines while Cohen was in the media spotlight when he crashed the House Oversight Committee’s hearing with Cohen. Gaetz, claiming he only wanted to observe the hearing and ask questions, was not part of the committee. Afterward, the House Ethics Committee and the Florida Bar Association opened investigation into Gaetz over the aforementioned tweet. The state bar found no probable cause that Gaetz violated any rules in August 2019.

Gaetz announces he had a Cuban “son” named Nestor

In June 2020, Gaetz sent shockwaves through social media in June when he announced he had a Cuban “son,” Nestor, who he claimed to have been raising for the past six years. Nestor is the biological brother of Gaetz's ex-girlfriend and he said at the time he was a "single dad."

Gaetz accused of having sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl

In March 2021, the New York Times broke the story that Gaetz was being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her travel.

The Times cited "three people briefed on the matter" who said investigators were examining whether Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws.

The Justice Department ultimately decided not to charge Gaetz in February after investigators warned that two of the key witnesses were unreliable.

Gaetz approval rating: Matt Gaetz at 21% approval rating in Florida, poll says

Gaetz accused of violating House ethics rules by using taxpayer money on speech-writing consultant

In 2020, Politico reported that Gaetz had improperly sent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to a limited liability company linked to a speech-writing consultant who was removed from the Trump administration.

The report also noted that Gaetz may have used taxpayer money to build a private studio in his father’s home in Niceville and rent video equipment.

COVID-19 pandemic absences

Gaetz along with dozens of other Republican House members were accused of citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to skip votes in February 2021. Gaetz and the others asked others to vote on their behalf while they instead attended the Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place at the same time as their absences.

Conservative-led House Ethics Committee quietly reopens ethics investigation

The House Ethics Committee reopened its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations, taking bribes, and using drugs. Gaetz has denied the allegations and Fox News recently reported that the final report is nearly complete.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Matt Gaetz expulsion floated again after George Santos vote