By Stephen Macaulay

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics recently put out a statement about one of the House members, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R), who apparently is the representative of Florida’s First District, but who seems to be an inhabitant of Trump World, given his traveling hither and yon in support of his liege lord.

Gaetz, as you may recall, was thought to have been involved in some sketchy activities that had something to do with young women. (To put it nicely.)

Well, it turned out that in April 2021 the Ethics Committee opened a review into the allegations, but then, in response to a request from the Department of Justice, it stopped its investigation.

And what it was looking into is the stuff of the National Enquirer (to use an example familiar the Trump coterie, given the role it played in his felony convictions). 

To wit: “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.”

It brings a Warren Zevon lyric to mind: “Send lawyers, guns and money/The shit has hit the fan.”

But it didn’t hit. 

In February 2023 the Department of Justice dropped its investigation.

More than a year later, the Ethics Committee is taking another look.

This time, it is reviewing whether Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

It is not pursing “the allegations that he may have shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.”

While it might seem simple to determine, say, whether he pulled out his phone and pulled up some DIY porn on the House floor would be fairly simple — as in asking representatives — perhaps the Ethics folks feel a bit squeamish.

The Committee properly points out: “the mere fact of an investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”

True.

But let’s review:

• Sexual misconduct
• Illicit drug use
• Accepting improper gifts
• Providing “favors”
• Misusing state ID records
• Using campaign funds for personal reasons
• Taking a bribe

That’s quite a list, so it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if some violation has occurred.

The House Judiciary Committee has shown itself to be nothing short of zealous as it goes after the Bidens, Fauci, Mayorkas, etc., despite flimsy or non-existent evidence of wrong-doing. Still, there’s two-time NCAA wrestling champion, the man who apparently has never seen a suit jacket that he likes, Jim Jordan, fulminating against what is often nothing other than fantasy.

The Ethics Committee states: “No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules.”

One can’t but think that this isn’t because of some decorum.

Maybe something has hit the fan.