DOJ: No charges against Matt Gaetz in sex trafficking investigation [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Rep. Matt Gaetz has been under investigation for allegedly violating sex trafficking laws and obstructing justice in the investigation.
• Gaetz was accused of having inappropriate relations with a minor involved in a sex trafficking case.
• The Justice Department decided not to pursue charges against the Florida congressman.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) will not be charged by the Department of Justice in relation to a sex trafficking investigation, federal prosecutors informed witnesses on Wednesday.

The Florida congressman was being investigated for several years for allegedly violating sex trafficking laws and obstructing justice in the investigation.

Gaetz was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old he allegedly met through his associate, Joel Greenberg. In 2021, Greenberg, who is also a former Florida county tax collector, pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including trafficking of a minor.

Investigators who looked into whether the congressman violated sex trafficking laws also focused on a trip he allegedly took to the Bahamas in 2018. They looked into whether any of the females on his trip were paid or illegally trafficked to have sex with him.

A source familiar with the matter said that an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz testified in front of a federal grand jury last year as part of the investigation, in exchange for immunity. She was viewed as a potential key witness with information on the allegations against the congressman.

Gaetz has previously denied all allegations and declared that he had never had sex nor paid for sex with an underage girl.

Gaetz’s attorneys, Marc Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner, said they learned that the DOJ decided against pursuing charges after speaking to department officials on Wednesday. Gaetz’s congressional office confirmed the same.

They told CBS News that the DOJ has “concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and they have determined not to bring any charges against him.”

Gaetz is a known supporter of former President Donald Trump. He recently made headlines when he led a group of conservative Republicans in resisting now-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the leadership position.

Source: CBS News