Pelosi: Ethics panel should ‘vigilantly monitor’ social media after GOP lawmaker’s Cohen tweet

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday called for the House Ethics Committee to “vigilantly monitor” members’ statements on social media after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tweeted about Michael Cohen.

“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. 

{mosads}The Ethics Committee should monitor statements “which may not be protected by the speech or debate clause,” Pelosi said, without naming any lawmaker.

Her statement linked back to her Feb. 20 tweet announcing that Cohen would testify despite his claims that President Trump was trying to intimidate him. 

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

The Speaker’s comments came shortly after Gaetz, a Trump loyalist who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted about the president’s former lawyer.

“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…” Gaetz wrote.

The Florida Republican’s tweet came the day before Cohen’s scheduled testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

The president’s former attorney and “fixer” will reportedly testify that Trump has a history of making racist comments and inflating or deflating his net worth for business purposes such as avoiding taxes. 

Gaetz was accused by some of trying to intimidate Cohen before his testimony.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) called for the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation into the “grossly unethical and probably illegal” tweet.

Gaetz, however, dismissed accusations of witness tampering by saying he was “witness testing.”

“And when witnesses come before Congress their truthfulness and veracity are in question and we have the opportunity to test them,” Gaetz told reporters just hours after sending the tweet.

He added that people would have to “tune in tomorrow to find out” if he has any insight regarding Cohen’s alleged extramarital relationships. 

Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis, who is also a contributor to The Hill, responded by condemning Gaetz for the “despicable lies and personal smears.”

“We trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct,” he said in a statement.