NYT: Matt Gaetz Is Said to Be Investigated Over Possible Sexual Relationship With a Girl, 17

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 19: House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) talks with reporters before heading into a closed-door hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill October 19, 2018 in Washington, DC. The House Judiciary and Oversight committee are questioning Fusion GPS contractor Nellie Ohr, wife of senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr. She is being questioned as part of the investigation into the opposition research dossier about then-candidate Donald Trump’s alleged personal and business ties to Russia that Republicans say is at the center of alleged Department of Justice misconduct during the 2016 election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The New York Times is breaking news tonight that GOP Representative Matt Gaetz “is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter.”

According to the Times, “Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said.”

In the article, Matt Gaetz notes that he is a "subject" and not a "target" of the investigation.

That means he has potential criminal liability. DOJ does not consider individuals to be "targets" unless DOJ has already determined that they intend to indict the person. https://t.co/HxoNK6lCTE
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) March 30, 2021

An interesting note in the story – the probe apparently began while Bill Barr, a staunch Trump ally like Gaetz, was running the DOJ.

Earlier today AXIOS reported that Gaetz may be leaving politics when his term is up in 2022 to become a host at Newsmax.

UPDATE: Gaetz has confirmed to Axios he is under investigation.

“The allegations against me are as searing as they are false,” Gaetz said in a 13-minute phone interview with Axios. “I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know when I was a single guy.”

Rep Matt Gaetz should be taken off the @HouseJudiciary Committee until the @TheJusticeDept investigation is completed. He should not be sitting on a Congressional Committee with oversight over the DOJ while the Department is investigating him. https://t.co/TKRfSyCgHe
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 30, 2021