Matt Gaetz sex trafficking probe: Prosecutors recommend against

Prosecutors have recommended not to bring charges against Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz as part of a sex-trafficking investigation, the Washington Post reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The prosecutors said that they made that decision in part because of credibility questions with the two central witnesses, those people told the Post.

The reported recommendation means the Department of Justice is unlikely to charge Gaetz with a crime as a result of the probe. The investigation began in 2020 and centered 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 travels with him.

A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the Post’s report.

When asked for comment on the report, Gaetz attorney Isabelle Kirshner told CNBC, “When I hear it from DOJ, I’m happy to talk.”

Read the full report from The Washington Post.

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