Florida’s Republican representative Matt Gaetz has been under investigation for sex trafficking claims. A federal investigation has been opened as sources claim he had an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old. Gaetz denies all allegations against him, claiming that the media is putting in great efforts to damage his image.

The case first opened in August of 2020, after Gaetz was indicted for a sex trafficking charge. Officials state that Gaetz had been using his power and authority over the victim in order to make her perform “sex acts.” It is believed that Gaetz would buy said woman gifts or offer her other perks such as bringing her along with him on his travels.

In fact, while the acts with a minor are a one-time possibility for Gaetz, paying women online for sex is not. Allegedly, Gaetz would often engage in online prostitution with many different women, hence the charges of sex trafficking and an additional investigation because of the age of one of his “clients.” He supposedly met these women through a Florida tax collector named Joel Greenberg. Greenberg has federal sex trafficking charges against him, and he is expected to plead guilty once his trial begins.

Matt Gaetz completely denies these allegations and has stuck to his story since the beginning. When originally asked about the investigation, Gaetz is quoted as saying, “I only know that it has to do with women…I have a suspicion that someone is trying to re-categorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.” Later, when accusations of him being with a minor came into play, Gaetz said, “It is verifiably false that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman.”

Additionally, Matt Gaetz has gone as far as to claim that he is being extorted. Gaetz has been quoted saying that a man by the name of Bob Kent is attempting to make his legal issues “go away” for a payment of 25 million dollars. The legitimacy of these accusations is unknown, as Kent has denied all claims.

 To the general public, it remains unclear as to the whole truth of this situation. While the representative completely denies all allegations, the investigation is still underway. However, this leads us to a large discussion as to whether or not Gaetz will resign from his position. He claims he has no intentions of stepping down; however, as the investigation continues, it is unclear as to whether or not those intentions will remain the same. As more information is put out, we soon hope to know the reality of these very serious allegations.