Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz appears increasingly politically isolated amid a scandal over a federal sex trafficking investigation. Even for Donald Trump, one Republican politician said: “A 10ft pole is not long enough”.
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Gaetz and a political ally facing allegations of sex trafficking may have paid underage girls or offered gifts in exchange for sex.
Few Republicans have rushed to introduce Gaetz, a conservative three-term conservative provocateur, for supporting Trump, major attacks, sometimes against those in his own party, and frequently in the media.
The Associated Press reports that several lawmakers and assistants who spoke on condition of anonymity said Gaetz’s prospects of remaining in Congress were complicated by his unpopularity in his own party.
The Daily Beast, meanwhile, reported that advisers were urging the former president to remain silent. According to Trump, the case said it looked ‘very bad’, although he also thought the allegations could be a ‘smear’ against Gaetz.
‘I do not hope anyone is guilty of anything, but it sounds like [Gaetz has] made many explanations, ”Barry Bennett, a longtime Republican operator and former Trump adviser, told the website.
‘People underestimate Donald Trump’s political ear … For something like that, a 10ft pole is not long enough. The former president should stay away from this as far as possible. ”
Fox News also remained silent. As Vox reported, the Gaetz case will not be mentioned on the justice network on Thursday or Friday until news anchor Brett Baier discusses the allegations in his evening program.
Gaetz was a well-known presence on Fox News, according to Mediate, which appeared 18 times on the channel in March. Shortly before the news of the allegations against him became known, he apparently considered resigning from Congress to pursue a media career.
Such plans are now threatened. Gaetz’s investigation apparently stems from an investigation into Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was charged last year and charged with a number of federal crimes. He pleaded not guilty.
In addition, CNN reported that Gaetz allegedly displayed nude photos of women he slept with to colleagues on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Republican leaders were largely silent. But Gaetz’s spokesman Luke Ball resigned.
Part of the investigation is to investigate whether Gaetz, 38, had sex with a 17-year-old and other underage girls and violated federal laws on sex trafficking, sources told the AP. to Gaetz. Investigators are said to be investigating whether the two men had sex with the same girls.
The details of the investigation were first reported by the New York Times, which also said Gaetz took ecstasy, an illegal drug, before having sex.
Gaetz said: “No part of the allegations against me are true.”
Among the rare lawmakers who support Gaetz, Georgia’s freshman Marjorie Taylor Greene is another rising figure driven by media appearances and unfounded conspiracy theories.
House leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters the allegations against Gaetz were “serious”. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters: “If these allegations are in fact true, then of course it is the least to remove from the Judiciary Committee. According to what we have heard so far, this would concern the ethics committee. ”
The investigation into Gaetz has been going on since at least summer 2020 and has reportedly reached the highest levels of the justice department. Investigators questioned several witnesses and examined the travel and financial records.
Greenberg was the preferred tax collector in Seminole County near Orlando when he resigned last June after being arrested on charges of, among other things, pursuing a political opponent, trafficking a minor for sex and illegally using a state database to create fake driver licenses and other ID cards.
Since then, the case has faced more than 30 charges, including wire fraud and charges of attempting to divert at least $ 400,000 from the Greenberg customs office for own use. Other charges accuse him of attempting to obtain coronavirus fraud relief funds.
The justice department is conducting a separate investigation into the extortion charges, the AP reported. Gaetz said his family worked with the FBI.