Pelosi: Gaetz should go if claims are true

WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz, facing accusations of a sexual relationship with an underage girl, should at a minimum be removed from the House Judiciary Committee if the claims are true, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday.

Pelosi, D-Calif., also said the House Ethics Committee should consider the allegations against the Florida Republican.

Gaetz, 38, who has been one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies since coming to Congress in 2017, said anew Thursday that the accusations are wrong.

The Ethics panel, made up of five members from each party, can recommend punishments ranging from a reprimand, or formal rebuke, to expulsion, which is rare partly because lawmakers often resign first. The full House would have to approve such actions, with expulsion requiring a twothirds majority.

Pelosi’s comments left the political future clouded for Gaetz, who is under federal investigation over accusations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him.

The Justice Department has also been examining whether Gaetz has had relationships with other underage girls. Investigators are trying to determine whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.

“The allegations against me are FALSE,î” Gaetz tweeted Thursday. He also repeated his assertion that the charges are related to an alleged attempt to extort his family.