Pressure piles on Matt Gaetz after key figure in federal probe 'likely' to strike plea deal

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) came under increased legal pressure on Thursday after it was revealed that a longtime associate was "likely" to strike a plea deal with prosecutors.

CNN reports that attorneys representing Joel Greenberg told a federal judge in Florida that they expect to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors, which suggests that Greenberg could be offering incriminating evidence against Gaetz in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Gaetz is reportedly being investigated by federal law enforcement officials on potential sex trafficking charges involving a 17-year-old girl, and multiple stories about the Florida congressman's scandalous behavior have emerged over the last week.

Among other things, reports have emerged that Gaetz allegedly shared nude photos and videos of women he slept with to impress his colleagues in Congress; that investigators have uncovered ties between Gaetz and a fake ID scheme; and even for potentially paying for sex with women using the Apple Pay mobile payment platform.