Not long before former President Donald Trump left office, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) privately approached the White House and asked for blanket preemptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies to cover any crimes they may have committed, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The New York Times.
Last week, the Times reported that Gaetz is the subject of a Justice Department investigation into whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl, traveled with her across state lines, and paid women he recruited to have sex. People familiar with the matter told the Times this is part of a larger probe into one of Gaetz's associates, Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector of Seminole County, Florida. Greenberg has been charged with child sex trafficking.
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