In the midst of a firestorm of unsubstantiated accusations aimed at him, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is pressing on with a high-profile Friday evening speech at the Women for America First Summit held at Trump National Doral in Miami.
The allegations threatening to ensnare Gaetz are tied to court proceedings involving former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. Greenberg — who’s pleaded innocent to 33 charges including allegations of sex trafficking of a minor, stalking, identity theft, bribery and wire fraud — is widely expected to enter into a plea deal and, as part of that, could provide assistance to prosecutors investigating Gaetz.
''I am sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,'' Greenberg attorney Fritz Scheller said during an impromptu news conference Thursday.
The steady drip of innuendo and alleged details leaked to the news media has taken a political toll on Gaetz, who’s steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
''Matt Gaetz needs to resign,'' Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., tweeted Thursday evening, emerging as the first of Gaetz’s Republican colleagues to call for him to step down.
Despite their common political affiliation, however, Kinzinger — an outspoken opponent of former President Donald Trump and Gaetz, one of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters — have long been at odds.
Still, Gaetz has received little support from others in the GOP despite maintaining he’ll prove his innocence.
''It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie,'' Gaetz told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" soon after The New York Times reported the alleged Department of Justice probe.
He added: ''What is happening is an extortion of me and my family involving a former Department of Justice official. On March 16, my father got a text message demanding a meeting wherein a person demanded $25 million in exchange for making horrible sex trafficking allegations against me go away.
''Our family was so troubled by that, we went to the local FBI and the FBI and the Department of Justice were so concerned about this attempted extortion of a member of Congress that they asked my dad to wear a wire, which he did with the former DOJ official.''
Trump was soon dragged into the fray after the Times cited anonymous sources claiming Gaetz had solicited a blanket pardon from the president before he left office. Trump swiftly released a statement refuting the report.
''Congressman Matt Gaetz never asked me for a pardon,'' Trump said in a statement. ''It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him.''
Female staffers who work for Gaetz released a joint statement Thursday also expressing their support.
''Congressman Gaetz has always been a principled and morally grounded leader,'' the statement said. ''At no time has any one of us experienced or witnessed anything less than the utmost professionalism and respect. No hint of impropriety.''
Members of Congress are back at work Monday after the spring recess, and observers are watching to see if any other politicians come out to support Gaetz — or give him a shove. So far, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, are Gaetz’s only peers to defend him.
All eyes are on Gaetz to see how he’s received — and if he continues defying detractors’ calls — at the Florida summit on Friday.
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