“A senior member Rep. Matt Gaetz’s staff resigned Friday amid a widening scandal relating to allegations of sex trafficking and an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Luke Ball, Gaetz’s communications director, tendered his resignation Friday, hours after the New York Times released a second bombshell story detailing cash payments that the close political ally of former President Donald Trump made to several women, apparently in exchange for sex” Yahoo News reports.
“An ongoing Justice Department investigation is looking into whether Gaetz, 38, had sex with a 17-year-old girl and provided her with anything of value in return. Federal child sex trafficking law prohibits providing anything of value to someone under the age of 18 in exchange for sex. The Times was shown the records of payments made by Gaetz to a woman on two mobile apps, the paper reported Thursday, but the documented sexual encounters at Florida hotels extended to multiple women who, according to the Times, told friends that they were paid for their services.”