The Justice Department is investigating GOP Representative Matt Gaetz for possible sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl, three people briefed on the matter told The New York Times.
The 39-year-old conservative and Donald Trump ally is also under investigation for possibly paying for her to travel with him across state lines, which would violate federal sex trafficking laws because of her age.
According to the Times’ sources, the DOJ launched its investigation in the final months of the Trump presidency. In response to the allegations, Gaetz told the Times that the DOJ informed his legal team he was the subject of the probe but not the target, and added he believed there may be some bad faith accusations at play. “I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward,” he said.
If found guilty of the crime, Gaetz could face a heavy sentence. Notably, he was the sole member of Congress in 2017 to vote against a law giving the federal government more power to prosecute human trafficking, saying his constituents did not want him to “create more federal government.”
The shocking news comes a little over a year since Gaetz faced public accusations of his participation in a demeaning "sex game" where male Florida legislators would award one point for having sex with a lobbyist, two points for a staffer, three for another legislator and six for a married legislator. Gaetz denied having knowledge of or participating in such a game.
Ahead of the disclosure of the sex trafficking investigation, Gaetz privately told his inner circle he was considering retiring from Congress to take a job at the right-wing outlet Newsmax.
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