三名知情人士告诉美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)，对佛罗里达州众议员马特·盖兹(Matt Gaetz)的联邦调查重点是指控这位年轻的众议员与至少一名未成年人有性关系，并正在审查这位共和党人不仅在佛罗里达州，而且在这位政治家家乡以外的州的行为。
这项调查由《纽约时报》于周二首次报道经美国广播公司新闻证实在共和党圈子里，尤其是在前总统的亲信中，引起了轩然大波唐纳德·特朗普他认为盖兹是一个坚定的盟友和忠诚的朋友。
“我没有和一个17岁的孩子发生过关系。这是完全错误的，”盖兹在周二晚上的一次采访中告诉福克斯新闻的塔克·卡尔森。"那是假的，记录会证明那是假的."
消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，调查已经进行了几个月，始于特朗普政府时期。消息人士称，前司法部长比尔·巴尔多次听取了调查进展的简报。
一位消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，联邦当局已经采访了多名证人，作为调查的一部分。
据报道，盖兹告诉他的密友，他正在考虑从国会退休，并可能加入右翼媒体NewsmaxAxios报告星期二早些时候。
然而，根据一个消息来源，在过去的几周内，盖兹开始接触著名的律师。该消息来源称，盖兹要求代表他的律师之一是华盛顿律师比尔·伯克，他在穆勒调查期间代表史蒂夫·班农、雷恩斯·普利巴斯和唐·麦克甘。据一位知情人士透露，伯克拒绝了这个案子。
吉姆·沃森/法新社通过盖蒂图像，文件
众议员马特·盖兹于2020年3月9日在佛罗里达州奥兰多登上空军一号。
在周二晚上的福克斯新闻上，盖兹似乎证实了调查，他说有人接近他，声称他可以“让调查消失”。
“有人要求钱来换取承诺，他可以让这次调查和他的同谋者一起结束，”盖兹说，他认为这个被指控的勒索者是前DOJ官员大卫·麦基。
麦基现在受雇于贝格斯&莱恩律师事务所，该事务所在周三晚上的一份声明中否认了这些指控。
声明中写道:“国会议员的指控既虚假又诽谤。”。“麦基先生25年前是佛罗里达州北部地区的首席助理美国检察官。在司法部任职期间，他的正直和道德行为的声誉是无可挑剔的。在他为我们公司工作的25年里，这一直是无可挑剔的。当他和DOJ在一起的时候，他绝不会考虑像国会议员盖兹建议的那样的计划，今天也不会。未经证实的指控并不能改变这一事实。”
一位知情人士证实，联邦调查局(FBI)和司法部(Justice Department)正在分别调查盖兹关于他是敲诈企图目标的指控。
In investigation of Rep. Gaetz's alleged sexual relationship with minor, feds looking beyond Florida, sources say
The federal investigation into Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is focused on allegations that the junior congressman had a sexual relationship with at least one minor, and is scrutinizing the Republican's conduct not only in Florida but outside the politician's home state too, three sources familiar with the investigation tell ABC News.
The investigation, first reported by the New York Times Tuesday andconfirmed by ABC News, has sent shockwaves through Republican circles, particularly among close associates of former PresidentDonald Trump, who considered Gaetz a staunch ally and loyal friend.
"I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false," Gaetz told Fox News' Tucker Carlson in an interview Tuesday night. "That is false and records will bear that out to be false."
Sources told ABC News the investigation has been going on for months and began during the Trump administration. Former Attorney General Bill Barr was briefed on the investigation's progress several times, the sources said.
One source told ABC News that federal authorities have already interviewed multiple witnesses as part of their probe.
Gaetz has reportedly told confidants he is considering retiring from Congress and possibly joining the right-wing media outlet Newsmax, according toan Axios reportearlier Tuesday.
Yet within the last several weeks Gaetz started reaching out to prominent attorneys, according to one source. The source said that one of the attorneys Gaetz asked to represent him was Washington attorney Bill Burck, who represented Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Don McGahn during the Mueller probe. Burck turned down the case, according to a person familiar with the decision.
On Fox News Tuesday night, Gaetz appeared to confirm the investigation when he said he was approached by someone who claimed he could "make this investigation go away."
"There was a demand for money in exchange for a commitment that he could make this investigation go away along with his co-conspirators," Gaetz said, identifying the alleged extortionist as former DOJ official David McGee.
The law offices of Beggs & Lane, where McGee is now employed as a private attorney, denied those allegations in a statement Wednesday night.
"The allegation by the Congressman is both false and defamatory," the statement read. "Mr. McGee was the Chief Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida 25 years ago. During his tenure with the Department of Justice his reputation for integrity and ethical conduct was impeccable. It has remained impeccable throughout his 25 year tenure with our firm. While he was with the DOJ he would never have entertained a scheme such as what Congressman Gaetz suggests nor would he today. Unsubstantiated allegations do not change that fact."
One source familiar with the matter confirmed that the FBI and Justice Department are separately investigating Gaetz's allegations that he was the target of an extortion attempt.
