Matt Gaetz, Mired in Scandal, Faces Mounting Calls to Resign

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is facing mounting calls to resign amid scandal as he faces a federal investigation over accusations of a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the Department of Justice was investigating whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with the girl and paid for her to travel with him.

The Associated Press also reported this, citing two people familiar with the matter. It outlined that the investigation is looking at whether he violated federal sex trafficking laws.

Gaetz has denied accusations against him and suggested he has been victim of an extortion plot.

"No part of the allegations against me are true," Gaetz said in a previous statement.

While he has denied the accusations, a backlash has mounted against him over his alleged conduct.

Meghan McCain, conservative commentator and daughter of former Republican senator and presidential nominee the late John McCain, tweeted a CNN article citing anonymous sources alleging Gaetz showed nude images of women he had slept with to other lawmakers. McCain urged him to quit his position.

"This is vile, abhorrent and beneath the office he holds. No woman in congress should feel comfortable working with him. Resign. (also don't start with the cancel culture bulls***, any man in any place would be fired for this garbage)," McCain tweeted.

Bill Kristol, of the Republican Accountability Project, shared images of billboards urging Gaetz to resign in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots. Gaetz faced a backlash for having supported former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud having altered the election outcome. There is no evidence of such irregularities on a scale that would have done so.

Kristol tweeted: "The Republican Accountability Project put these billboards up in Rep. Gaetz's district two months ago. Now it's even more imperative that he resign. So we at @AccountableGOP say once again to Rep. Gaetz: Go, before you further disgrace your office. Go, now!"

He also shared a TV ad criticizing Gaetz and said: "I guess we'll have to update it a bit with all the fresh evidence emerging of his unfitness for office."

Sarah Longwell, who was a co-founder of the Republican Voters Against Trump group, also shared an image of one of these billboards and wrote: "This holds up."

There have been extensive calls for Gaetz to resign across social media. This comes as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Gaetz would keep his committee seats for the meantime as he faces investigation. McCarthy said Gaetz would lose these if accusations against him are proven true.

Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) said if the accusations are true, Gaetz should resign.

In a tweet aimed at McCarthy, he said: "If it's true Rep Matt Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking, he needs to resign and be prosecuted. In the meantime, you can't have Gaetz sitting on the Congressional Committee that has oversight over the Department that is investigating him."

Gaetz has a seat on the House Armed Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

Newsweek has contacted Gaetz's office for further comment.