Matt Gaetz once faced a sex-trafficking investigation by the Justice Department, which he could now lead

WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was once involved in one investigation of sex trafficking by the Ministry of Justice he has been selected to lead, and has been under the control of House ethics committee over allegations, including sexual assault.

However, that investigation effectively ended Wednesday when Gaetz resigned from Congress.

Gaetz, a staunch Trump defender, has spent years embroiled in scandals that threatens to derail his confirmation as the nation’s top federal law enforcement officer by the Republican-led Senate.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into allegations of sex trafficking with underage girls had ended without federal charges against him.

Trump’s attorney general is expected to oversee radical changes to the Justice Department, which has been the target of Trump’s ire over two criminal cases it brought accusations against him conspiring to subvert the 2020 election and hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump, who portrayed himself as the victim of politically motivated prosecutions, repeatedly promised on the campaign trail to carry out retaliation against his political enemies if they were returned to the White House.

It is unlikely that Gaetz would be confirmed in time to oversee special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump both of which are expected to wind down before the incoming president takes office. Smith is expected to leave his post before Trump takes office, but special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that have historically been made public, and it remains unclear when such a document might be released.

In a statement Wednesday announcing his choice, Trump said Gaetz would root out “systemic corruption” in the Justice Department and return the department “to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our democracy and the Constitution.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Gaetz wrote: “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”

A few hours before the announcement, Gaetz said in a social media post that a “full court press against this ARMED GOVERNMENT” is needed. He added, “And if that means ABOLISHING every single one of the three postal agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to go!” If confirmed as attorney general, he would oversee both the FBI and the ATF, formally known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Inside a private meeting with House Republicans, the news that Trump had chosen Gaetz to lead the Justice Department sent shockwaves. The Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho said he has a hard time believing Gaetz will be able to get through the Senate confirmation process. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she did not believe Gaetz was a serious candidate.

Some of Gaetz’s allies in the House defended him as Trump’s choice, pointing to his experience as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Asked Wednesday if she believes Gaetz could be confirmed, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, reporters that many will try to “tarnish him”, but “the evidence will speak for itself.”

The federal sex-trafficking investigation, which began under Attorney General Bill Barr during Trump’s first term, focused on allegations that Gaetz and one-time political ally Joel Greenberg paid underage girls and chaperones or offered them gifts in exchange for sex.

Greenberg, a Republican who served as tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was convicted at the end of 2022 to 11 years in prison.

Federal investigators were looking into a trip Gaetz took to the Bahamas with a group of women and a doctor who donated to his campaign and whether the women were paid or received gifts to have sex with the men, according to people familiar with the matter. not allowed to publicly discuss the investigation. Prosecutors also investigated whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some of the women, and probed Gaetz’s connections to medical marijuana sectorincluding whether his staff sought to influence legislation Gaetz sponsored, the people have said.

Gaetz remained under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that he was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.

The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021, postponed its work in response to a Justice Department request, and renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Ministry of Justice had completed an investigation into sex trafficking.

Over the summer, the committee gave an unusually public update to its long-running investigation, saying its review now includes whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts and tried to obstruct government investigations into his conduct. Gaetz has categorically denied all the allegations before the committee.

Rep. Michael Guest, the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee, had told The Associated Press that Gaetz’s nomination did not change the panel’s ongoing investigation. But Gaetz’s resignation means the committee will no longer have jurisdiction to continue its investigation.

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Lisa Mascaro, Michael Balsamo and Stephen Groves contributed from Washington.