According to a person familiar with the situation, the Justice Department has now reportedly advised lawyers for at least one witness that it would not charge Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz following a years-long federal sex-trafficking probe.
According to the source, senior authorities contacted attorneys for at least one witness on Wednesday to advise them of the decision not to charge Gaetz.
BREAKING: DOJ formally decides not to charge Congressman Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe. Prosecutors have been informing witnesses today of final decision by DOJ leadership after investigators recommended not moving forward back in the fall. More to come on @CNN
— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) February 15, 2023
After investigators advised against charging last year the final decision was made by the Department of Justice leadership.
Gaetz was charged in 2017 with assisting Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg in smuggling a 17-year-old girl over state borders.
Greenberg received an 11-year jail sentence in December after pleading guilty as part of a plea bargain.
Gaetz has consistently denied the charges.
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