US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) looks on during an ‘America First’ rally in Dalton, Georgia, US on May 27, 2021.
Dustin Chambers | Reuters
Prosecutors have recommended against filing charges against Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as part of a sex-trafficking investigation, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors said they made that decision in part because of credibility questions with the two central witnesses, these people told the Post.
The reported recommendation means the Justice Department is unlikely to charge Gaetz with a crime as a result of the investigation. The investigation began in 2020 and focused on the Florida congressman’s alleged relationship with a 17-year-old girl years earlier.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing since the New York Times first reported in March 2021 that the DOJ was investigating whether he had a sexual relationship with an underage girl and paid for her trips with him.
A Justice Department spokesman did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the Post’s report.
When asked for comment on the report, Gaetz’s attorney, Isabelle Kirshner, told CNBC, “When I hear that from the DOJ, I’m happy to talk.”
Read the full report from The Washington Post.
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