Jun 29, 2019

House Ethics Committee to probe Matt Gaetz for Michael Cohen tweet

Gigi Sukin

Rep. Matt Gaetz. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The House Ethics Committee announced Friday that it established a subcommittee and opened an investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for complaints that he "sought to threaten, intimidate, harass or improperly influence" President Trump's former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.

Catch up quick: In late February, Gaetz tweeted baseless details about Cohen's personal life, just 1 day before Cohen's congressional testimony. Gaetz quickly deleted the tweet in question, apologized and defended himself.

  • Friday's statement indicated that Gaetz refused an interview request to discuss the incident. The Ethics Committee did clarify the investigation does not inherently imply that "any violation has occurred.”

Read the Ethic's Committee's statement:

Go deeper: Florida Bar advances investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz for Michael Cohen tweet

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 p.m. ET: 1,273,990 — Total deaths: 69,444 — Total recoveries: 260,247 — Map.
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  3. Federal government latest: Surgeon general says this week will be "our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11 moment." The USDA confirms that a Bronx zoo tiger tested positive for coronavirus.
  4. 2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. Biden says DNC may have to hold virtual convention.
  5. States updates: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is "literally going day-to-day" with supplies.
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Intelligence community watchdog suggests Trump fired him for doing his job

Michael Atkinson, Inspector General of the Intelligence Community,at the Capitol in October. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson suggested in a statement Sunday President Trump fired him for acting impartially in carrying out his duties following a whistleblower complaint.

Why it matters: Atkinson alerted Congress last September to the complaint on Trump's correspondence with Ukraine's president, triggering an inquiry that resulted in the Trump's impeachment.

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Recorded deaths from the novel coronavirus surpassed 9,500 in the U.S. Sunday evening, per Johns Hopkins data. The death toll in the U.S. has risen over 1,000 every day since April 1.

Why it matters: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Sunday this upcoming week will be "the hardest and saddest week of most Americans' lives" — calling it our "our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11 moment."

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