STORY: The U.S. House of Representatives is expanding an ethics probe into Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz.
That's according to the committee leading the investigation on Tuesday.
The three-year inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use will now also look into whether the four-term Florida representative tried to obstruct the probe.
In a statement, the panel noted "difficulty" in obtaining information from the congressman.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
:: February 24, 2024
The congressman is a close ally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and he played a central role in the 2023 toppling of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
:: October 3, 2023
"Mr. Speaker, my friend from Oklahoma says that my colleagues and I who don't support Kevin McCarthy would plunge the House and the country into chaos. Chaos is Speaker McCarthy."
In a statement on X, Gaetz wrote, "the Ethics Committee is now opening new frivolous investigations."
And he blamed McCarthy, who no longer is a member of Congress, for seeking revenge.
The committee said it was continuing its probe into Gaetz's behavior, having spoken with more than one dozen witnesses and issued 25 subpoenas while reviewing "thousands of pages of documents."
