What it would take for the GOP to dump Gaetz
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, to borrow a phrase from the late singer Tom Petty, is free fallin’.
Gaetz, a loyal foot soldier for former President Donald Trump and a Fox News darling, is engulfed in a scandal. The Justice Department is investigating whether Gaetz engaged in a relationship with a 17-year-old girl, whether he was involved with other young women, and whether he broke federal sex trafficking and prostitution laws, according to people briefed on the matter.
Investigators have also examined whether federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses for the women, one source said. Gaetz said “no part of the allegations against me are true.” He denied that he paid any woman for sex, insisting that the 17-year-old girl does not exist, and that he was the victim of an organized criminal extortion plot, which the FBI is investigating separately.