Pro-Trump congressman Matt Gaetz faces sex allegations

The Republican from Florida denies the allegations but is now under investigation by the US House Ethics Committee.

A United States congressional ethics panel has opened an investigation into allegations Representative Matt Gaetz engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a teenage girl and violated rules against accepting gifts. The House of Representatives Committee on Ethics said in a statement on Friday it would look into public reports that Gaetz “may have engaged in sexual misconduct” and “illicit drug use”. Gaetz, 38, a high-profile Republican ally of former President Donald Trump, has denied the allegations and refused to resign in the face of an unfolding scandal.