The Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has expanded beyond the Republican’s home state, ABC News confirmed on Wednesday night.
It is unclear which other states are included in the probe.
Given that the allegations against Gaetz are that he had sex with a 17-year-old and funded her travel across state lines, it was already likely that investigators were looking outside Florida.
The DOJ did not respond to request for comment at the time of writing.
ABC News also reported that Gaetz, a hardline loyalist to ex-President Donald Trump, reached out to high power attorney Bill Burck, who represented fellow Trump ally Steve Bannon in both Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe and the “We Build the Wall” fraud case.
Burck reportedly shot down Gaetz’s petition.
The Republican lawmaker says the allegations are “totally false.” He has not been charged in the investigation.
