Representative Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend expected to testify before grand jury in Orlando

Author: MICHAEL KAPLAN / CBS News
Published:
matt gaetz
FILE – In this June 17, 2020, file photo Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP, File)

An ex-girlfriend of Representative Matt Gaetz was expected to testify Wednesday before a federal grand jury in Orlando, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.

Gaetz has been under investigation to determine if he violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice in that probe. Gaetz has previously denied all wrongdoing, and said he has never paid for sex, nor had sex with an underage girl.

The ex-girlfriend, who CBS News is not naming to protect her privacy, has been negotiating an immunity deal with federal prosecutors and could be a potential key witness in both the sex-trafficking investigation and the obstruction of justice probe, two sources told CBS News.

CBS News has confirmed the woman and her attorney had left the courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.

Tim Jansen, a lawyer for the ex-girlfriend, declined to comment. The Department of Justice declined to comment.

Isabelle Kirshner, an attorney for Gaetz, told CBS News in a statement that “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.”

News of the ex-girlfriend’s expected testimony was first reported by CNN.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., allies of former President Donald Trump, talk to reporters on January 6, 2022. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE / AP

One of the sources said that as part of the obstruction probe, investigators are looking into whether Gaetz had a phone call with two women, one of whom was already a witness in the federal investigation. The other woman on the call was the ex-girlfriend, the source said.

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