2 days Ago By Tom Ozimek
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee asked FBI Director Christopher Wray in a Nov. 20 letter to provide investigative files on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.
) as part of their review of his nomination for a key role in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration. Gaetz was nominated on Nov. 13 by Trump to serve as attorney general, a position that requires Senate confirmation.
The president-elect said in the announcement that Gaetz is a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who would carry out needed reforms at the Department of Justice (DOJ). In response to the nomination, Democrats and other critics pointed to a House Ethics Committee probe into the former congressman over allegations of misconduct, and to a prior FBI investigation into allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and the DOJ, which oversees the FBI, ended its probe on Gaetz last year without filing any charges.
A Trump transition team spokesperson said on Nov. 19 that the allegations against Gaetz are “baseless“ and ”intended to derail the second Trump administration,” adding that the DOJ “investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing.” “The Senate has a constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on presidential nominees, and it is crucial that we review all the information necessary to fulfill this duty as we consider Mr.
Gaetz’s nomination,” the letter reads. The senators said the allegations against Gaetz call into question his fitness to serve as attorney general. “The unanswered questions regarding Mr.
Gaetz’s alleged conduct are particularly significant given that his associate, Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking charge for which Mr. Gaetz was also investigated,” the senators wrote. An FBI spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the agency had received the letter, but would not provide further comment.
Gaetz was also the focus of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which involved allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use, misuse of campaign funds, and accepting improper gifts. In June, the committee said that some allegations against Gaetz, including dispensing favors and obstructing government investigations, merited further review, while others did not. Gaetz has denied all the allegations.
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