A defiant US deputy Matt Gaetz said in an article published on Monday that he “is not a criminal” and “is absolutely not resigning”, despite an investigation into the sex trafficking charges against him.
“Since I’m playing under the revolver, let me address the charges against me directly. First, I never, never paid for sex. And second, I, as an adult man, did not sleep with a woman of 17 years “old”, wrote the Florida Republican in the Washington Examiner, where he described himself as the victim of a diverse group of enemies.
“People won’t be surprised that bizarre claims are being made about me right after I decided to take on Beltway’s most powerful institutions: the establishment; the FBI; the Biden Department of Justice; the Cheney political dynasty; even the Department of Justice. under Trump, “he wrote.
The investigation into Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was opened by then-attorney general William Barr during the Trump administration, two sources told the New York Times.
The deputy also denied the charge when the story was first reported last week. He was not charged with any wrongdoing.
Law enforcement officers confirmed to NBC News that the Justice Department investigation began as a result of an investigation into a former Seminole County tax collector and Gaetz’s friend Joel Greenberg, who has since been accused of sex trafficking. Greenberg pleaded not guilty.
Investigators are investigating whether Gaetz trafficked a 17-year-old girl, officials said. The Times, citing people close to the investigation and text messages and payment receipts, reported that investigators also investigated allegations that Gaetz and Greenberg recruited women online to have sex in exchange for money and gifts.
In the opinion article, Gaetz portrayed this as a “claim that I, an adult man, paid the expenses of an adult girlfriend”.
“I am a representative in Congress, not a monk and certainly not a criminal,” he wrote.
“My lifestyle back then may be different from how I live now, but it was not and is not illegal,” added the 38-year-old. “My personal life is and has always been conducted in my own time and in my own currencies.”
Although the investigation originated in the Barr government, Gaetz highlighted President Joe Biden’s attorney general in his article.
