DOJ will not charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking investigation: Report

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (FLV) – The Justice Department will not bring charges against Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, after a federal sex-trafficking investigation, CNN reported.

Justice Department senior officials reportedly reached out to at least one of the witnesses Wednesday with the news that they would not prosecute, according to CNN.

In September 2022, prosecutors recommended against charging Gaetz, telling Justice Department superiors that a conviction is unlikely in part because of credibility questions with the two central witnesses, according to a report by the Washington Post.

The investigation started in late 2020 and focused on his alleged involvement with a 17-year-old girl several years earlier.

Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, calling it an “operation to destroy me” in a previous interview on FOX News.

During the interview, Gaetz said he was a victim of “extortion” by an ex-Justice Department official seeking a $25 million payoff.