Rep. Matt Gaetz.Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty
Rep.Matt Gaetzwill not face trafficking charges from the Department of Justice, after agrand jury investigatedwhether the Florida Republican had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid her to travel with him, a CNN journalistreportedWednesday.
CNN’sPaula Reidshared on Twitter that prosecutors have beguninforming witnesses of their final decisionafter investigators recommended not moving forward with charges in the fall.
News of the investigation into Gaetz, 40, first broke in March 2021. According toTheNew York Times, it was opened in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney GeneralBill Barr.
Matt Gaetz and wife Ginger Luckey.Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty
Gaetz denied any wrongdoing, previously insisting to multiple news outlets that the overarching case was “rooted in an extortion effort” against him.
But the investigation took a more serious turn after reports surfaced that one of Gaetz’s ex-girlfriends hadtestified in court.
According to NBC News, the ex-girlfriend had been in discussions with federal prosecutors about an immunity deal in exchange for her testimony.
The probe involving Gaetz reportedly spun out of another investigation, into Joel Greenberg, his friend and former GOP official from Seminole County, Florida.
Greenberg wasindicted on a range of charges, including sex trafficking of a child, in 2020. In May, hepleaded guiltyto multiple charges including sex trafficking a minor and was believed to be cooperating with authorities.
Greenberg and Gaetz have beenphotographed togetherin the past.
Speaking to theTimeslast year about his knowledge of the investigation, Gaetz said: “I only know that it has to do with women. I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.”
Amid the investigation, Gaetz eloped with Ginger Luckey.
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Gaetz was allegedly among those whoasked the Trump White House for a pardon, according to several witnesses who testified in the Jan. 6 hearings.
Former Trump White House aideCassidy Hutchinsontestified that Gaetz had been seeking a pardon since early December 2020, saying he had requested a meeting with chief of staffMark Meadows"about receiving a presidential pardon."
source: people.com
