Rep. Matt Gaetz insisted Friday that he won't resign despite reports of a federal sex trafficking investigation—and he doubled down in a Washington Examiner op-ed Monday. "I am a representative in Congress, not a monk, and certainly not a criminal," wrote the Republican, who blamed the "false allegations" against him on the "swamp." He said the "bizarre claims" are being made after he decided to "take on the establishment; the FBI; the Biden Justice Department; the Cheney political dynasty; even the Justice Department under Trump." Gaetz, who has received little public support from other Republicans in Congress, said he is "absolutely not resigning," though he predicted that some of his "feckless colleagues" might urge him to do so.
"Just like the Mafia, the swamp protects its made men," said Gaetz, who repeated his denial of the allegations against him. "First, I have never, ever paid for sex," he wrote. "And second, I, as an adult man, have not slept with a 17-year-old." Gaetz said he had changed since his lifestyle of "yesteryear" and accused his opponents of trying to "sensationalize and criminalize" his "prior sex life," the Hill reports. Nathan Nelson, Gaetz's former military adviser, said Monday that he told FBI agents that he had no knowledge of any "illegal activities" and there was no connection between the allegations and his departure from Gaetz's office in October, the AP reports. (Last week, sources said Gaetz had shown fellow lawmakers pictures of nude women on his phone and bragged about having sex with them.)