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Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz says police investigating a “potential plot” against his life
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida disclosed Friday that he was notified by authorities on Monday about a “potential plot on my life” by a convicted felon.
Moskowitz, who represents the 23rd Congressional District that includes portions of Palm Beach and Broward Counties, posted the allegation on X, which was later collaborated by police in Margate, a city located in the Miami metropolitan area.
The freshman congressman was elected to a second term on Tuesday.
John Lapinski, 41, of Margate, was arrested Oct. 31 at his home after police responded at about 6:30 a.m. to reports of shots fired. He was subsequently detained under the Baker Act and taken to Broward Health Imperial Point in Fort Lauderdale. He was then moved to the Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 2.
When arrested, Lapinski was also found to be in possession of several guns and ammunition, as well as body armor, police said.
He faces three firearms charges relating to a convicted felon and a domestic injunction.
“During the investigation, our detectives located several firearms and evidence that indicated he may have been planning some type of criminal act,” Margate police said in a news release.
The Margate Police Department contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI to assist with the investigation. The ATF is currently the lead agency for this investigation, Margate police said.
Moskowitz claimed that Lapinski was arrested near his own home in Parkland.
“Found with him was a manifesto, among other things, included antisemitic rhetoric and only my name on the ‘target’ list,” Moskowitz, who is Jewish, wrote in his social media post. “There are many other details that I will not disclose as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation.”
Lapinski has two prior felony convictions of resisting and officer with violence and grand theft in Lake County.
Moskowitz, 43, serves on the bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination of President-elect Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I understand the failures and importance of fixing the protection of our current Commander-in-Chief and Vice President,” Moskowitz wrote. “At the same time I am deeply worried about congressional member security and the significant lack thereof when we are in the district. Regardless of our political affiliations or differences, we all have families we want to keep safe.”
On Tuesday, Moskowitz was elected to a second term, securing more than 52% of the vote against Republican challenger Joseph “Joe” Kaufman, which was a margin of about 17,500 votes.
Moskowitz has touted his ability to work with Republicans. He was elected to the House in 2020 after serving in the Broward County Commission in an appointment by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Previously, he was Florida’s emergency operations manager under DeSantis, including during the pandemic. Before that, he was a Florida state representative from 2012 to 2019. His first election was in 2006 as a member of Parkland City Commission, which he served in until 2012.
Moskowitz has a law degree from Nova Southeastern University.
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House Ethics Committee planned to vote Friday on whether to release report on Matt Gaetz
The House Ethics Committee, which has been conducting an investigation into sexual misconduct and obstruction allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, scheduled a vote for Friday on whether to release its report, according to three sources with knowledge of the committee’s work.
Hours after President-elect Donald Trump said he planned to nominate Gaetz to be attorney general, Gaetz resigned his congressional seat, effective immediately.
“I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress, to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration,” Gaetz said in his resignation letter obtained by CBS News
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that there was about an eight-week period during which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could fill his seat by setting the date for a special election.
Now that Gaetz has resigned, it is unclear whether the panel will vote on releasing the report, since Gaetz is no longer in Congress.
There is precedent in Congress on the Senate side for an ethics committee report to become public after a member resigns from Congress, however. In 2011, this happened when Sen. John Ensign of Nevada resigned amid allegations that he tried to hide an extramarital affair.
But it’s not clear that that would apply to the House, leaving open the possibility that the report on Gaetz would not be released.
In June, the House Ethics Committee released a statement saying it was investigating a range of allegations against Gaetz, including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and bribery.
Multiple sources at the time told CBS News that four women had informed the House Ethics Committee that they had been paid to go to parties that included sex and drugs, and that Gaetz had also attended. The committee has Gaetz’s Venmo transactions that allegedly show payments for the women.
Gaetz has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has called the committee’s investigation a “frivolous” smear campaign.
Some of the allegations of sexual misconduct under review by the committee were also the subject of a previous Department of Justice probe into Gaetz. Federal investigators sought to determine if Gaetz violated sex trafficking and obstruction of justice laws, but no charges were filed.
The House Ethics Committee resumed its investigation into Gaetz in 2023, following the Justice Department’s decision not to pursue charges against him.
Gaetz has long blamed then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, also a Republican, for the probe. And Gaetz later led the movement to sack McCarthy as speaker.
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Democratic Congressman on the party’s messaging, focus
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11/13: The Daily Report – CBS News
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