Nancy Pelosi issues stern warning after Matt Gaetz taunts Michael Cohen over 'girlfriends'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) applauds during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 5, 2019. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) applauds during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 5, 2019. Photo: Doug Mills, NYT Photo: Doug Mills, NYT Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Nancy Pelosi issues stern warning after Matt Gaetz taunts Michael Cohen over 'girlfriends' 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

After Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., taunted former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen over "girlfriends" in a Tuesday tweet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a stern warning to members of Congress over any comments that they make on social media leading up to Cohen's Wednesday testimony for the House Judiciary Committee.

"I encourage all Members to be mindful that comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary to fulfill their duties," Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday night.

Pelosi called on the House Committee on Ethics to monitor any statements made by lawmakers prior to Cohen's highly anticipated congressional testimony.

"As a result, such statements can be construed as not reflecting creditably on the House, and the Committee on Ethics should vigilantly monitor these types of statements, which may not be protected by the Speech or Debate Clause," she said.

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I encourage all Members to be mindful that comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary to fulfill their duties. https://t.co/NDnxkaiFCA pic.twitter.com/DIIgSHgeb5 — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 26, 2019 Michael Cohen will come before the @OversightDems & @HouseIntel Committees next week. Congress has an independent duty under the Constitution to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch, and any efforts to intimidate family members or pressure witnesses will not be tolerated. https://t.co/VDc6zE6lwH — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) February 21, 2019 Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot... — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 26, 2019 One of my colleagues, a duly elected member of Congress, has taken to twitter to intimidate a witness. This is grossly unethical and probably illegal (18 USC § 1512(b)).



House Ethics must investigate this disgrace and stain on our institution. https://t.co/MLEsqkarfC — Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 26, 2019

Pelosi also linked to a tweet from last week in which she threatened that "any efforts to intimidate family members or pressure witnesses will not be tolerated."

Gaetz appeared to directly intimidate Cohen when he tweeted, "Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she'll remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot..."

Following the tweet, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., called on the House Ethics Committee to investigate Gaetz for witness intimidation.

"One of my colleagues, a duly elected member of Congress, has taken to twitter to intimidate a witness," he tweeted. "This is grossly unethical and probably illegal... House Ethics must investigate this disgrace and stain on our institution."

RELATED: 20 questions that Michael Cohen could answer for lawmakers during testimony

Gaetz denied accusations of witness tampering.

"We're witness testing, not witness tampering, and when witnesses come before Congress, their truthfulness and veracity are in question, and we have the opportunity to test them," he told reporters Tuesday.

Cohen will testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, and is expected to answer questions from lawmakers on potential campaign finance violations related to Stormy Daniels, the Trump campaign's ties to Russia and more.