WASHINGTON: Rep. Matt Gaetz mentioned Monday he is not going to depart Congress and denied accusations that he had intercourse with an underage woman, suggesting that he’s being focused by political foes as a result of he loathes the swamp.
In a column showing within the Washington Examiner, a conservative information outlet, the embattled Florida Republican predicted that a few of my feckless colleagues in Congress” will name for him to step down.
No, I’m completely not resigning,” he wrote Monday in one in every of his first public feedback in regards to the allegations.
Gaetz, beginning his fifth 12 months in Congress, has been battling to protect his political profession since studies final week that he’s below federal investigation for doable intercourse crimes. An aggressive and high-profile ally of Donald Trump, Gaetz has to date obtained virtually no public help from his congressional Republican colleagues and none from the previous president.
The 38-year-old Gaetz is below scrutiny by federal prosecutors over whether or not he had intercourse with a 17-year-old and different underage women and violated federal intercourse trafficking legal guidelines. That’s in line with individuals aware of the investigation who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of they may not focus on particulars publicly.
Gaetz, who has not been charged with any crimes, denied the accusations Monday.
First, I’ve by no means, ever paid for intercourse,” he wrote. And second, I, as an grownup man, haven’t slept with a 17-year-old.”
Engaged since New Year’s Eve, he wrote, My way of life of yesteryear could also be totally different from how I reside now, however it was not and isn’t unlawful.”
Gaetz used his column to assault Democrats, information organizations and others, saying his enemies are simply repeating false allegations a couple of congressman who loathes the swamp and fights either side of it each day.
He additionally predicted, Im positive some partisan crooks in Merrick Garlands Justice Department need to pervert the reality and the legislation to go after me.”
The FBI, the Biden administration’s Justice Department and the Cheney political dynasty” have been among the many entities Gaetz accused of unjustly concentrating on him. Gaetz helped lead an unsuccessful battle early this 12 months to depose Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, from her job as No. 3 House GOP chief.
Gaetz’s article was revealed the identical day a former congressional aide advised reporters he was interviewed final week by the FBI. Nathan Nelson, a army adviser who left Gaetz’s workplace in October, mentioned he was questioned about whether or not he’d left that job as a result of he knew of Gaetz’s involvement in unlawful actions.”
Im right here this morning to state that nothing could possibly be farther from the reality. Neither I nor some other member of Congressman Gaetz’s employees had any data of unlawful actions, Nelson mentioned at his residence in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
Nelson offered no particular particulars in regards to the FBI’s questioning. Without detailing them, he mentioned he believes the fees in opposition to Gaetz are false.
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AP reporter Bobby Caina Calvan contributed from Santa Rosa Beach.
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