Questions swirl over investigation into Gaetz as House returns

[DonViejo]

By Jeremy Herb and Ryan Nobles, CNN

Updated 6:55 AM ET, Tue April 13, 2021

(CNN) - House Republicans have remained conspicuously quiet since the Justice Department's investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida first became public two weeks ago, but they're likely to face new questions about their colleague's future as the chamber returns to Washington on Tuesday.

One House Republican has called for Gaetz to resign from Congress, while just a couple of Gaetz's GOP colleagues have come to his defense in the face of a federal investigation into whether he broke federal sex-trafficking and prostitution laws and had sex with a 17-year-old girl.

When it was first revealed that Gaetz was under investigation by the FBI, the House was in a two-week recess, allowing Republican leaders to largely ignore the scandal and its political implications. Now the House is returning Tuesday to major debates on President Joe Biden's massive infrastructure plan and the record number of unaccompanied minors on the southern border, but questions about Gaetz threaten to distract from Republicans' messaging.

Two weeks ago, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said the allegations being investigated were serious, adding that he planned to speak with Gaetz about them. It's not yet clear if that conversation has happened, and McCarthy hasn't said anything since.

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https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/13/politics/matt-gaetz-congress-house-returns/index.html