Trump ally Matt Gaetz is accused of offering underage girls money or gifts in exchange for sex.
Now the ethics committee has started investigations.
Update from April 10, 2021, 2 p.m.:
The situation is coming to a head.
Now the ethics committee in the US House of Representatives has officially opened an investigation against MP Matt Gaetz, among other things, on allegations of a sexual offense.
The committee knows the public allegations against the confidante of the ex-President Donald Trump.
On Friday (April 9, 2021), the panel listed the allegations: These include drug use, bribery and the use of campaign funds for private purposes.
Trump confidante Gaetz continues to come under pressure: Investigations are ongoing
The committee stressed, however, that opening the investigation does not automatically mean that there has been a misdemeanor.
The presumption of innocence applies.
Gaetz had so far rejected all allegations made against him.
He confirmed that the prosecutor had started an investigation against him.
However, details of the scope, content and progress of the investigation are not known.
There are no known charges against him.
Citing Gaetz's office, US media recently reported that the politician had now hired two prominent lawyers from New York.
Serious allegations against Republican Matt Gaetz: Sex with underage girls
At the end of March, allegations became known that the MP is said to have had a relationship with a 17-year-old, among other things.
According to the US media, prosecutors are also investigating the allegation that Gaetz and a companion paid underage girls or gave them gifts to encourage them to have sex.
First report from April 6, 2021, 2:30 p.m.:
Washington, DC - Republican Matt Gaetz is a staunch supporter of former US President Donald Trump.
After revelations into an ongoing federal investigation into Matt Gaetz's alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, advisors Donald Trump have repeatedly advised not to comment on the allegations.
"The former president should stay away from this as much as possible," Barry Bennet, a lobbyist who advised Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, told
The Daily Beast
.
People underestimated Donald Trump's political instinct.
“A ten-foot pole is not long enough for something like that,” Bennet is quoted as saying.
Donald Trump is advised not to help his confidante
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Matt Gaetz and one of his political allies offered underage girls money or gifts in exchange for sex, the
Associated Press
reports
.
The
New York Times
first
reported on the investigation at the end of March.
According to
The Daily Beast
, two people familiar with the matter have reported that the former president is closely monitoring the Gaetz scandal.
After all, Gaetz is a close ally of Donald Trump.
In his typical manner, the ex-president casually asked several confidants what they thought of the situation and whether he should intervene.
However, several people advised Trump not to publicly defend Gaetz at the moment.
Why isn't there a big uproar in Washington?
- Gaetz not very popular in his own party
One could assume that there was a major uproar in Washington as a prominent young Republican is accused of having sex with an underage girl.
Gaetz himself denies all allegations.
In the USA, as in Germany, the presumption of innocence applies.
It is reported in the US media that he has not had a good reputation among colleagues for a long time.
He also has a preference for illegal drugs and younger women.
As a result, many members of his own party are said to have distanced themselves from Gaetz, reports the
New York Times
.
In addition, several people told
CNN
that Gaetz liked to show nude photos and videos of women with whom he said he was intimate.
Gaetz is apparently not very popular with many Republicans.
This is also shown by a report by the
Associated Press
news agency
.
According to this, many party colleagues are said to have been angry with Matt Gaetz because he likes to mess with other members of his party in public.
In January he tried to convince voters in Wyoming not to re-elect MEP Liz Cheney.
This had voted in the House of Representatives for the impeachment of Donald Trump.
Gaetz himself has admitted to being unpopular in Washington, although he tried to rephrase his unpopularity as a virtue.
Similar to what Trump liked to do.
“As for the Capitol, I know I have many enemies and few friends,” he told
The Daily Beast
on Wednesday.
"My support is generally outside of Washington, DC, and I wouldn't want it any other way."
(Dp)
List of rubric lists: © SMG / imago