House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz will not be removed from his committee assignments Thursday, saying he is innocent until proven guilty.
During a Thursday press conference, McCarthy was asked if he would pull Gaetz off the House Judiciary Committee after he denied accusations of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, to which McCarthy said there are no charges against him and if there are, it will be handled then.
“Matt Gaetz is the same as any American, he’s innocent until proven guilty,” McCarthy told reporters. “There’s no charges against him yet. If a charge comes forward, that will be dealt with at that time.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) greets supporters after speaking to a crowd during a rally against Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on January 28, 2021 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
Gaetz’s female staffers released a statement on April 8 defending their boss as Gaetz has continued to deny any wrongdoing. (RELATED: Matt Gaetz’s Female Staffers Release Statement Defending The Congressman Amid Sexual Allegations Scandal)
Last Wednesday, McCarthy said he would remove Gaetz from his position on the House Judiciary Committee if sexual misconduct allegations against him turn out to be true.
“Those are serious implications,” McCarthy said of the allegations against Gaetz on Fox News. “If it comes to be true, yes, we would remove him if that was the case,” he added.
Gaetz’s campaign committee lawyer demanded Tuesday that CNN retract its story claiming former President Donald Trump denied a meeting with the lawmaker amid sex trafficking allegations.