Report: Prosecutors investigating whether Gaetz obstructed justice

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Rebecca Falconer
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) denies he's obstructed justice after Politico reported late Wednesday that federal prosecutors are looking into the allegation as part of a sex crimes investigation.

Driving the news: Per Politico, the obstruction of justice inquiry centers on a call Gaetz had with a witness in the Department of Justice case against Joel Greenberg, a former associate of the congressman, who's pleaded guilty to charges including sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl and wire fraud.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

  • At some point during the conversation, Gaetz's former girlfriend "patched" him into the call with the witness, Politico reports, citing sources familiar with the case.

  • "While it's unknown exactly what was said, the discussion on that call is central to whether prosecutors can charge Gaetz with obstructing justice, which makes it illegal to suggest that a witness in a criminal case lie or give misleading testimony," according to Politico.

For the record: Gaetz has not been charged with any crimes and has repeatedly denied allegations of being sexually involved with a 17-year-old and claims that he shared naked images of women with other Congress members.

  • He told Axios' Jonathan Swan in March that the investigation is "rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million."

What they're saying: "Congressman Gaetz pursues justice, he doesn’t obstruct it," a spokesperson for Gaetz said in a statement in response to the latest report.

"The anonymous allegations have thus far amounted to lies, wrapped in leaks, rooted in an extortion plot by a former DOJ official. After two months, there is still not a single on-record accusation of misconduct, and now the 'story' is changing yet again."

  • Representatives for Gaetz and the DOJ did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Rep. Gaetz declares he's "not going anywhere" amid sex trafficking probe

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.

Recommended Stories

  • Samantha Bee to Democrats on recent GOP filibusters: ‘Stop letting the losers call the shots’

    "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" took on the topic of filibusters Wednesday night.

  • GOP congressman describes what a coup would be like: 'There’s gonna be death'

    Repreprestative Adam Kinzinger (R - IL) appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 Wednesday where he responded to the growing sentiment among some supporters of former President Donald Trump, calling for a military coup to oust President Biden. This comes on the heels of former Trump National Security Advisor and retired Army general Michael Flynn saying over the weekend that there should be a coup in the U.S. “A lot of people, you know, imagine that a coup or an armed insurrection is just going to be like camping out with the boys. It's going to be a great time drinking some PBRs. That's not true,” Kinzinger said. “There’s gonna be death, and that death is gonna be people you love.” Kinzinger went on to address the belief among some Trump supporters that the military would be on their side if there were to be a government overthrow. “It's time that we get past fetishizing the violence in this. It’s time that we get past fetishizing this idea of overthrowing the government, and the second amendment encouraging us to overthrow the government,” Kinzinger said. “That is reserved for times, frankly, if there is a military coup, which won’t happen because no military member in the United States military that takes the oath seriously would participate.”

  • Texas Republican Claims Provision to Limit Voting on Sunday Was ‘Scrivener’s Error’

    A top negotiator behind a Texas voting law backed by Republicans claimed that the text of the bill limited voting hours on Sundays because of a "scrivener's error," in an interview with NPR on Tuesday.

  • Trump Justice Dept. seized phone records of 4 NYT reporters

    The Trump Justice Department secretly obtained the phone records of four New York Times reporters as part of a leak investigation, the newspaper reported Wednesday. It is the third instance over the last month in which a news media organization has disclosed that federal authorities seized the records of its journalists in an effort to identify sources for national security stories published during President Donald Trump's administration. President Joe Biden has said he would not allow the Justice Department to continue the practice of obtaining reporters' records, calling it “simply, simply wrong.”

  • Jailed for taking upskirt videos, man reoffends at same location after release

    Even after being sentenced to jail in 2019 for filming upskirt videos of more than 23 women at MRT stations and their surroundings, a man returned to his old ways following his release.

  • An educational agency backed by Betsy DeVos just lost recognition for signing off on a college that seemed to be fake

    A USA Today investigation found no evidence of students or faculty at Reagan National University in South Dakota, which ACICS formally recognized.

  • Donald Trump said he’d give £100k ‘not to hear Theresa May talk’

    Donald Trump said he would pay £100,000 to avoid hearing Theresa May speak after learning she was charging that much to give a speech. According to this week's Spectator, Piers Morgan said he informed Donald Trump just before the last US election that former prime minister Theresa May "gets paid more than £100,000 a pop for speeches". Mr Morgan writes that the former president "exploded into mocking laughter and spluttered: 'Are you kidding me? I'd pay £100,000 not to hear her talk!'" The discon

  • Trump Organization makes a second attempt to sell its Washington, DC, hotel lease, The Washington Post reports

    The Trump Organization has hired Newmark Group, a real-estate advisory firm, to market the Pennsylvania Avenue property.

  • Texas Guv Faces Friendly Fire After Targeting Salaries in Voting-Rights Fight

    REUTERSby Cassandra Pollock, The Texas TribuneTexas House Speaker Dade Phelan said Tuesday he has concerns with Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent vow to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Legislature, citing how the move to block such pay could impact staffers and legislative agencies.“I understand the frustration the governor has in [lawmakers] not passing those emergency items—they were priorities of the governor, they were priorities of mine, priorities of many members of the Legislatu

  • Georgia sheriff accused of civil rights violations suspended

    Georgia's governor on Wednesday suspended a sheriff accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his custody by ordering them unnecessarily strapped into restraint chairs and left there for hours. A federal grand jury in April indicted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill. The indictment accuses the sheriff of improperly using restraint chairs at the county jail for punishment.

  • Brazil's Bolsonaro condemned for hosting Copa America amid COVID crisis: 'Championship of death'

    Brazil volunteered to host the tournament after it was moved from Colombia and Argentina amid dueling crises.

  • Chauvin seeks probation for Floyd death, state wants 30 years

    In a motion filed with Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, lawyer Eric Nelson said Chauvin's actions in pinning Floyd to the pavement during an arrest was "best described as an error made in good faith" based on his training. "Mr. Chauvin asks the Court to look beyond its findings, to his background, his lack of criminal history, his amenability to probation, to the unusual facts of this case, and to his being a product of a 'broken' system," Nelson wrote.

  • Trump doubly jeopardized the GOP

    Republicans can't win with Trump, but they may also be unable to win without him

  • Why Democrats Are Cheering for a Month of Senate Failure

    Chip Somodevilla/GettyDemocrats are six months into their control of Congress and the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is queuing up floor votes that will all almost certainly fail—and that’s sort of the point.Equal pay. Voting rights. Perhaps even gun control and LGBTQ rights. Ever since Democrats took unified control of Washington in January, these long-awaited Democratic priorities have been on a slow-motion collision course with a legislative reality: the filibuste

  • Sen. Kyrsten Sinema says she missed Jan. 6 commission procedural vote for "family matter"

    Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) told AZCentral that she missed a procedural vote on legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to study the Jan. 6 Capitol riot because she had a "family matter."Why it matters: Sinema was one of two Senate Democrats who skipped the 54-35 vote, which ultimately failed to gain enough support to overcome Senate Republicans' filibuster.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Context: Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) was the other Democ

  • This Idaho group is ‘huge threat’ to democracy, GOP Senate leader says at Boise forum

    Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder said the biggest disappointment of the legislative session was watching legislators follow a think tank’s lead.

  • New details in case of girlfriend of billionaire’s son charged with killing in Belize

    Jasmine Hartin, partner of Lord Michael Ashcroft’s son, has been charged in the death of a Belize police official and moved to a new jail.

  • Tom Brady finally admits he didn't know it was fourth down during loss against Bears

    Tom Brady made one huge mistake during the 2020 NFL season.

  • NFL pledges to halt practice that assumed Black players started with lower cognitive function

    The NFL on Wednesday pledged to halt its decades-old use of "race-norming" — a practice that assumes Black players have a lower baseline level of cognition — in its near-billion-dollar concussion settlement, AP reports.Why it matters: The use of "race-norming" meant that Black players had to show a larger cognitive decline to qualify for the settlement. The NFL said Wednesday that it will also review previous scores for potential race bias.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets.

  • Ally Bank kills hated overdraft fees — a huge money-maker for banks

    Ally Financial abolishes overdraft fees. Could other banks be next?