Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz appears increasingly politically isolated amid a growing scandal over a federal sex trafficking investigation. Even for Donald Trump, a Republican political operative said, “a 10-foot pole is not long enough.”
Federal prosecutors are examining whether Gaetz and a political ally facing sex trafficking charges may have paid underage girls or offered gifts in exchange for sex.
Few Republicans have been quick to offer any support to Gaetz, a conservative three-term provocateur known for supporting Trump, high-volume attacks, sometimes against those in his own party, and frequent media appearances.
The Associated Press reported that several lawmakers and advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Gaetz’s prospects of remaining in Congress were complicated by his unpopularity in his own party.
The Daily Beast, meanwhile, reported that advisers were begging the former president to be quiet. It was reported that Trump said the case looked “very bad”, although he also thought the charges could be “defamation” against Gaetz.
“I don’t expect anyone to be guilty of anything, but it seems [Gaetz has] has a lot to explain, ”Barry Bennett, a former Republican operative and former Trump adviser, told the site.
“People underestimate Donald Trump’s political ear … For something like that, a 10-foot pole is not long enough. The ex-president should stay as far away from that as possible ”.
Fox News was also quiet. As Vox reported, the Gaetz case was not mentioned in the right-wing network on Thursday, or Friday, until anchor Brett Baier covered the allegations on his evening show.
Gaetz has been a family presence on Fox News, according to Mediate, who appeared on the channel 18 times in March. Just before news of the charges against him was released, he was considering retiring from Congress to pursue a career in the media.
Any of these plans are now under threat. Gaetz’s scrutiny allegedly stems from an investigation by the Justice Department of Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector indicted last year and charged with a series of federal crimes. He pleaded not guilty.
In addition, CNN reported that Gaetz allegedly showed nude photos of women he slept with to colleagues on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Republican leaders remained silent. But Gaetz’s spokesman, Luke Ball, resigned.
Part of the investigation is examining whether Gaetz, 38, had sex with a 17-year-old girl and other minors and violated federal sex trafficking laws, sources said to the AP, adding that federal agents suspect that Greenberg may have seduced the girls and introduced some for Gaetz. Investigators are examining 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 that Gaetz ingested ecstasy, an illegal drug, before having sex.
Gaetz said: “No part of the allegations against me is true.”
Among the rare lawmakers who have expressed support for Gaetz is first-year representative in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, another rising figure driven by media appearances and unfounded conspiracy theories.
Minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, told reporters that the charges against Gaetz were “serious”. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Chamber president, told reporters: “If these allegations are indeed true, it is clear that being removed from the Judiciary Committee is the least that could be done. From what we’ve heard so far, that would be an issue for the ethics committee. “
The Gaetz investigation has existed since at least the summer of 2020 and reportedly reached the highest levels of the justice department. Investigators interviewed several witnesses and examined financial and travel records.
Greenberg was the elected tax collector in Seminole County, near Orlando, when he resigned last June after his arrest on charges that included stalking a political opponent, trafficking a minor for sex and illegally using a state database to create portfolios of fake drivers and other identity cards.
Since then, the case has grown to more than 30 charges, including electronic fraud and charges involving efforts to divert at least $ 400,000 from the tax collectors’ office for cryptocurrency for Greenberg’s own use. Other accusations accuse him of fraudulently trying to obtain funds to help coronavirus.
The justice department has a separate investigation into the extortion allegations, AP reported. Gaetz said his family has been cooperating with the FBI.