Current:Home > ContactHouse investigators scrutinize Rep. Matt Gaetz's defunct federal criminal sex trafficking probe -Clarity Finance Guides
House investigators scrutinize Rep. Matt Gaetz's defunct federal criminal sex trafficking probe
View
Date:2025-04-15 07:23:52
Investigators with the House Ethics Committee appear to be taking a deeper look at the now closed federal probe into the conduct of Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, and have in recent weeks reached out to witnesses and the Justice Department for information, according to multiple sources familiar with the recent developments. At least one witness has sat for an interview, one of the sources said.
Gaetz, who is being investigated by the House committee over allegations that include sexual misconduct, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department last year declined to charge Gaetz in its sex trafficking investigation.
An individual was contacted by congressional investigators two weeks ago with a request for records tied to the now defunct federal investigation into whether the congressman violated sex trafficking laws, one of the sources said Wednesday.
It is unclear how or if the Justice Department will respond to the request for information, as its probe into Gaetz's conduct is closed following its decision not to charge the congressman.
The Justice Department declined to comment. A staffer with the House Ethics Committee also had no comment.
The news was first reported by a combination of ABC and CNN.
"These allegations are not true," Gaetz said Wednesday in response to the recent reports. "They've never been true. The people who have made these allegations have been exposed, indicted, and in some cases, imprisoned."
In the now closed Justice Department's probe, federal investigators had been trying to determine whether Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, the woman was introduced to Gaetz by Joel Greenberg, a former Florida county tax collector and associate of Gaetz who pleaded guilty in May 2021 to six federal charges, including trafficking of a minor.
Greenberg was sentenced in 2022 to 11 years in prison.
Michael KaplanMichael Kaplan is an award-winning reporter and producer for the CBS News investigative unit. He specializes in securing scoops and crafting long-form television investigations. His work has appeared on "60 Minutes," CNN, and in the New York Times.
veryGood! (7688)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Don't Miss This $40 Deal on $91 Worth of MAC Cosmetics Eye Makeup
- A Tesla driver was killed after smashing into a firetruck on a California highway
- Billie Eilish Shares How Body-Shaming Comments Have Impacted Her Mental Health
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- André Leon Talley's belongings, including capes and art, net $3.5 million at auction
- Inside Clean Energy: The New Hummer Is Big and Bad and Runs on Electricity
- Inside Clean Energy: The New Hummer Is Big and Bad and Runs on Electricity
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- The 'wackadoodle' foundation of Fox News' election-fraud claims
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Renting a home may be more financially prudent than buying one, experts say
- Governor Roy Cooper Led North Carolina to Act on Climate Change. Will That Help Him Win a 2nd Term?
- Gabby Douglas, 3-time Olympic gold medalist, announces gymnastics comeback: Let's do this
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- The 'wackadoodle' foundation of Fox News' election-fraud claims
- Barney the purple dinosaur is coming back with a new show — and a new look
- WHO declares aspartame possibly carcinogenic. Here's what to know about the artificial sweetener.
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Stars of Oppenheimer walk out of premiere due to actors' strike
A power outage at a JFK Airport terminal disrupts flights
Search continues for nursing student who vanished after calling 911 to report child on side of Alabama freeway
San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
Northwestern fires baseball coach amid misconduct allegations days after football coach dismissed over hazing scandal
ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors
Lisa Marie Presley died of small bowel obstruction, medical examiner says