The committee will assign an investigator to the case to decide if a complaint filed against Gaetz, a Florida Republican, should lead to formal charges filed with the Florida Supreme Court. | AP Photo Florida Bar escalates probe into Gaetz’s tweet to Cohen

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Bar has determined that a tweet by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz could warrant discipline and has assigned the case to a grievance committee for review.

The committee will assign an investigator to the case to decide if a complaint filed against Gaetz, a Florida Republican, should lead to formal charges filed with the Florida Supreme Court.


“The case is now being investigated by a grievance committee but no other information is available other than the status at this time,” bar spokesperson Francine Walker said in an email.

Gaetz tweeted to President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, on Feb. 26, shortly before Cohen was scheduled to testify before Congress.

“Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat,” Gaetz wrote in the tweet. “I wonder if she’ll remain faithful to you in prison. She’s about to learn a lot.”

The post was widely interpreted as potential witness tampering and drew a public rebuke from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Gaetz later deleted the tweet and apologized. He was a Fort Walton Beach lawyer before he was elected to Congress in 2016.

Gaetz told POLITICO he remains positive about the investigation.

“I’m very confident that The Florida Bar won’t impair my vigorous representation of my district,” Gaetz said in a text.