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It was nearly two full years ago when The New York Times first reported on the Justice Department’s investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz. The initial reporting painted a striking picture: Investigators were examining allegations that the Florida Republican had a sexual relationship with a minor, possibly violating federal sex trafficking laws in the process.
There were no real doubts as to whether the reporting was accurate — the congressman acknowledged the Justice Department investigation — but what was less clear was whether Gaetz would be charged.
Today, that answer came into focus. NBC News reported:
The Justice Department is ending its sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., without charging the congressman with any crimes, his attorneys and congressional office told NBC News. ... Gaetz’s office added, “The Department of Justice has confirmed to Congressman Gaetz’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes.”
It stands to reason that the GOP lawmaker was relieved by the news. It’s also quite possible that Gaetz, who has long denied any wrongdoing, is a little surprised by the outcome.
Let’s not forget that through the course of the Jan. 6 investigation, multiple officials from Donald Trump’s White House confirmed in sworn testimony that Gaetz sought a pardon from the then-Republican president. One former aide to Trump said the pardon was related to the sex trafficking investigation, not possible crimes related to Jan. 6 and the efforts to overturn the election results.
Evidently, the Floridian, who never received the pardon, didn’t need one after all.
What about Joel Greenberg, Gaetz’s almost comically scandalous former “wingman” who pleaded guilty to six charges, including sex trafficking of a minor? Didn’t he agree to cooperate with federal investigators? He did, but it’s likely that prosecutors realized that their top witness against the congressman was a "prolific criminal" with significant credibility issues.
And so, as of today, Gaetz no longer has to worry about being indicted in this case.
This is not necessarily the end of the story, though. As NBC News also reported, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy quietly appointed Gaetz to the new GOP subcommittee on the “weaponization of the federal government.”
In theory, the resolution of Gaetz’s case appears to undermine the entire Republican thesis: If the Biden administration’s Justice Department were a corrupt, partisan enterprise whose sole focus is targeting political foes, then prosecutors wouldn’t have let Gaetz off the hook.
But in practice, the Florida congressman’s role on the “weaponization” panel will likely mean that Gaetz will be able to go after the same law enforcement officials who investigated his alleged wrongdoing.