A three-year U.S. House probe into allegations of ethical lapses including sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz will expand to investigate whether he tried to obstruct the inquiry, the committee leading it said on Tuesday.

The House of Representatives Ethics Committee said in a statement, "During the course of its investigation, the committee has also identified additional allegations that merit review." The panel noted "difficulty" in obtaining information from the congressman.

The House Ethics Committee confirmed it is investigating allegations that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use as part of its yearslong inquiry.

The committee announced in a rare statement on Tuesday it would close four probes into Gaetz related to allegations he “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, fired away at the committee’s top Republican during a speech at Conservative Political Action Conference Friday.

“Word is, I now have problems with the Ethics Committee,” the Florida Republican and close ally of former President Donald Trump said. “Which seems really odd to me because I’m the one screaming loudest for actual ethics reforms.”

When ABC News reported on Wednesday that the House Ethics Committee had acquired text messages between a young woman involved in the sex trafficking investigation and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a Gaetz spokesperson told ABC that the congressman “does not know anything about the woman you’re referencing.”

That seems extraordinarily unlikely.

The Daily Beast can now report that this woman told prosecutors in 2021 that she had sex with Gaetz at a drug-fueled party that she was paid to attend, according to the woman’s attorney.

New York Republicans have nominated Mazi Melesa Pilip as their candidate to run in the special election for the Long Island seat vacated by George Santos.

The GOP pick for the Feb. 13 race will hold a news conference Friday in Massapequa in Nassau County. The party’s choice comes after an intensive vetting process by local leaders determined to redeem themselves after supporting Santos, the ousted congressman indicted on criminal fraud charges.

New York Republicans tapped Mazi Melesa Pilip, an Ethiopian-born Israeli military veteran currently serving in the Nassau County Legislature, to run for George Santos’ former House seat in a special election after his expulsion earlier this month.

Pilip was born in Ethiopia, but fled to Israel at age 12 during Operation Solomon, one of three Israeli operations that airlifted most of Ethiopia’s large Jewish population out of the country during a military dictatorship, the Forward reported in 2021.

Long Island and Queens Republicans will nominate Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip —  — a former Israeli paratrooper and native of Ethiopia — to run as its candidate to replace the expelled George Santos in the House of Representatives, GOP officials confirmed Thursday.

A formal announcement of Pilip’s candidacy will take place Friday in Massapequa.

The special election for the vacant seat of the Third Congressional District — which takes in much of Nassau County and parts of eastern Queens — will be held Feb. 13 . 

The House voted Friday to expel Rep. George Santos, ending the New York Republican’s tumultuous tenure in Congress and officially etching his name in the history books as the sixth lawmaker ever to be ousted from the lower chamber.

George Santos is out.

The House voted to expel the indicted New York Republican 311-114, exceeding the two-thirds threshold required for booting a member. Nearly all Democrats supported the measure, with two voting against it and two voting present, while 104 Republicans backed it. It's the first time the House has expelled a member without a conviction since the Civil War.

The New York Republican told reporters as the vote concluded: "It's over. ... They just set a dangerous new precedent for themselves." He declined further comment.

In a historic vote, the House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress, making him just the sixth member of the House to face that punishment.

In order to expel Santos, the House required a two-thirds majority, and the effort succeeded despite House GOP leadership voting against the resolution citing concerns about future precedent. The expulsion passed with 311 voting for it, including 105 Republicans, 114 voting against it, and two voting present.