GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz Likely to Dodge Charges in Sex-Trafficking Probe
© AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta
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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is less likely to charge Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after prosecutors recommended against doing so, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
According to the report, prosecutors are concerned about the credibility of the two central witnesses. One is an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz’s, and the other is Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector and a personal friend of Gaetz’s. Accordingly, they have recommended against pressing charges they’re afraid won’t stick.
Gaetz is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, including paying for her to travel with him. Of the two witnesses, Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend could only corroborate that the girl had traveled with him after she turned 18, and Greenberg, although he previously pleaded guilty to sex-trafficking charges, has also pleaded guilty to falsely accusing an election rival of having a relationship with a minor, tarnishing his claims that Gaetz has done so.
The DOJ has made no official comment on the matter of the prosecutors’ recommendations. However, it is rare for their counsel to go unheeded.
The encounters reportedly took place in 2019 and 2020, and the DOJ’s probe began before then-US President Donald Trump left office. Gaetz has denied the accusations and claimed they are an attempt to extort him for money.
However, the case gets weirder. Stephen Alford, a Florida business executive, has separately pleaded guilty to trying to extort Gaetz’s father, a former Florida state lawmaker, for $25 million with promises he could get Gaetz a presidential pardon from Trump. Alford later claimed the offer was a lie, but was given 5 years in prison for wire fraud.
Last week, the Washington Post also reported that Gaetz had also separately reached out to Mark Meadows while he was Trump’s chief of staff in an attempt to secure a pardon for himself. The allegation is based on comments by Johnny McEntee, Trump’s director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
Gaetz is a strong supporter of Trump’s and has promoted the former president's claims that the November 2020 election was marred by fraud by Democrats. Last month, Trump endorsed the Florida congressman's re-election bid.
