The DOJ is continuing its investigation into Congressman Matt Gaetz and whether he broke federal sex trafficking laws as details of the representative's interactions with women he allegedly paid to have sex with continue to emerge. After the New York Times broke the news of an alleged sexual relationship Gaetz had with a 17-year old, Gaetz’s reputation has been met with several blows leaving those close to him slow to come to his defense. The investigation into the Florida lawmaker was an offshoot of a larger investigation into a friend of Gaetz, Joel Greenberg. Greenberg was a former Seminole County, Florida tax collector who was indicted on several charges including sex trafficking.

Gates made his first public response to the allegations on the Fox TV show, Tucker Carlson Tonight. In the interview, the lawmaker was quick to defend himself by explaining away the allegations as an extortion attempt by a former DOJ employee. Gaetz named the employee as David McGee. Gaetz went on to add, “There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators.”

Details into Extortion Claim Unfold

On Monday evening, one of the men connected to Gaetz’s extortion claims, Bob Kent, spoke with CNN's Chris Cuomo on his news show Prime Time. In the interview, Kent explains that he was never part of an extortion scheme against the Gaetz family and that Gaetz was, “trying to direct attention from himself” with the claims. Kent also explains that the center of the DOJ investigation into Gaetz revolves around sex trafficking crimes, not extortion claims.

The Washington Post highlighted details of the extortion claim that connect the Gaetz family with Robert A. Levinson, an American hostage held in Iran. According to the Post, several men with knowledge of the investigation into Gaetz approached Gaetz's father Don Gaetz about helping his son out of his legal woes. In return, the elder Gaetz was asked to help fund the efforts to find Levinson and return him to America. There was a level of concern that Don Gaetz had about the proposal, leading him to contact the FBI about a possible extortion scheme. While the men involved in the initial proposal have not been named, Gaetz did identify one of those men as the former DOJ employee, Mr. McGee.

Gaetz has explained that the allegations are “rooted in an extortion effort against my family for $25 million.” In a separate investigation, the FBI is looking into possible extortion because of the proposed transaction to help locate Levinson. As part of the investigation, the FBI is looking into a document titled “Project Homecoming.” This document which was reported on by the Washington Examiner explains in part, “In exchange for the funds being arranged, and upon the release of Mr. Levinson, the team that delivers Mr. Levinson to the President of The United States shall strongly advocate that President Biden issue a Presidential Pardon, or instruct the Department of Justice to terminate any and all investigations involving Congressman Gaetz."

Late Tuesday night, The New York Times reported that Gaetz had asked Trump for a blanket pardon for any crimes he may have committed. This request which reportedly came at the end of Trump's time in office was not fulfilled. This news conflicts with statements Gaetz made on Tucker Carlson Tonight when he explained, “They were promising that Joe Biden would pardon me. Obviously, I don't need a pardon. I'm not seeking a pardon.” On Wednesday, Trump also shared in a statement denying allegations that Gaetz had seriously pursued a pardon. Trump shared in part, "Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon. It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him."

Trump is one of the few voices coming to Gaetz's defense. In his interview with Carlson, the news host was quick to distance himself from the scandal when Gaetz shared, “You and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you’ll remember her,” to which Carlson replied, “I don’t remember the woman you are speaking of or the context at all, honestly.” At the end of the interview, Carlson shared with viewers, “That was one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.”