Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend granted immunity in sex trafficking inquiry, report claims

Florida congressman has not been charged with any offence and denies any wrongdoing

Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend was granted immunity before she testified before a federal grand jury investigating the Florida congressman, a report claims.

Prosecutors are investigating the pro-Trump politician for any violations of sex trafficking laws and obstruction of justice, according to CBS News.

Mr Gaetz has not been charged with any crime, has strongly denied all allegations against him and says he has never paid for sex or had sex with an underage girl.

His ex-girlfriend, who has not been named, testified before the grand jury in Orlando last week, and sources told the news network that prosecutors view her as a potential key witness in any case brought against Mr Gaetz.

Prosecutors are investigating whether Mr Gaetz, 39, had sex with a 17-year-old girl for money in 2017, according to Politico.

The ex-girlfriend was reportedly with Mr Gaetz in 2017 and 2018, and went on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas that has also come under scrutiny from investigators.

A wider investigation began when former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, an associate of Mr Gaetz was charged with public corruption and sex trafficking charges.

Greenberg is cooperating with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to six charges in May and is facing at least 12 years in prison.

“We have seen no credible basis for a charge against Congressman Gaetz. We remain steadfast in our commitment to challenge any allegations with the facts and law,” Mr Gaetz’s lawyer Isabelle Kirshner has said in a statement.

News of the investigation into Mr Gaetz first leaked out last March, with the probe being opened in the final days of the Trump administration by then-Attorney General Bill Barr.