Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida avoids criminal charges in the Department of Justice's sex-trafficking investigation over a lack of strong evidence.
The DOJ decided after a lengthy investigation that jeopardized the political career of one of former United States President Donald Trump's allies in Congress. Investigators have, in recent months, signaled that they would most likely not pursue charges against Gaetz.
Matt Gaetz Avoids Criminal Charges
The decision was made after officials concluded that they could not make a strong enough case in court to support prosecution. Furthermore, department officials told Gaetz's legal team about the Wednesday decision.
In a statement, the Republican official's lawyers, Isabelle Kirshner, and Marc Mukasey, said they have already spoken with the DOJ, who informed them that the investigation into Gaetz has concluded.
Federal prosecutors in late 2020 began examining whether or not the Florida Republican broke federal sex-trafficking laws. Investigators focused on the 40-year-old's relationships with women whom he recruited online for sex and tried to determine whether or not he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, as per the New York Times.
The probe into Gaetz revealed embarrassing details of the Republican's private life, and it appears to have heavily weighed on him despite being known as a brash, carefree, and bellicose public official.
Gaetz made remarks in the last days of the Trump administration where he noted that he quietly and unsuccessfully appealed to the White House for a broad preemptive pardon. This could have encompassed the sex-trafficking investigation.
The DOJ's decision not to file criminal charges against the Republican official came two months after Joel Greenberg received an 11-year prison sentence on charges that included sex trafficking. The latter had cooperated with prosecutors, where he detailed his interactions with Gaetz and the women.
Sex Trafficking Investigation
Since the issue was first reported in March 2021, Gaetz has maintained his innocence over the accusation that he paid a 17-year-old girl to travel with him. According to Fox News, the investigation was started under Attorney General Bill Barr.
In a Twitter post following the 2021 report, the Republican lawmaker said that the investigation was simply a farce, calling himself a victim of "organized criminal extortion." He noted that for several weeks, he and his family were extorted by a former DOJ official whom he claims demanded $25 million.
Gaetz added that his father has been working to catch criminals within the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also denied any wrongdoing and called the accusations against him blatant lies.
A high-powered lawyer, Tim Jansen, was representing the congressman's ex-girlfriend and said that justice officials reached out to him on Wednesday. They supposedly told him that they were not filing criminal charges against Gaetz.
The woman Jansen is representing was considered a key witness in the case against the Republican and previously testified before the Orland grand jury last year. In a separate statement, the congressman's office said that the DOJ's investigation has ended and that officials were no longer seeking to charge Gaetz, as per CNN.
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