Reacting to a report from CBS News that the former girlfriend of Matt Gaetz has been granted immunity in return for testifying before a grand jury looking into allegations that the Florida Republican violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice, legal experts and law enforcement officials took to social media to point out the news should have Gaetz very concerned.
According to CBS, "The woman, who CBS News is not naming to protect her privacy, testified in front of a federal grand jury in Orlando last Wednesday. She is viewed as a potential key witness, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. One of the sources said she has information related to the investigation of both the sex trafficking and obstruction allegations."
That led former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance to caution, "It's never a good sign for the target when a key witness gets immunity to testify in front of the grand jury.
Former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi taunted the Republican House member by writing, "Ask not for whom the clock ticks; the clock ticks for you."
MSNBC legal contributor added some helpful context by tweeting, "Remember: it only takes 12 members of a grand jury to issue an indictment…" while sharing a link to the CBS story.
Putting it in an even more broader context, Florida attorney Daniel Uhlfelder tweeted, "Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend got immunity from federal prosecution to testify against him in a sex trafficking investigation and he is still on House Judiciary Committee. That must be corrected immediately."
Fellow Florida attorney Aaron Parnas wrote, "This is bad news for Gaetz and shows that the investigation is progressing quickly towards a possible indictment," before later adding, "The federal government does not grant immunity to everyone, and will only do so for important witnesses needed to secure an indictment or a conviction. The fact that Gaetz's ex-girlfriend has been granted immunity to testify shows that an indictment is likely coming soon."
"Matt has reason to be seriously concerned, but we knew that already," contributed attorney Elizabeth C. McLaughlin.
You can see their tweets -- along with a few others from political analysts -- below:
It's never a good sign for the target when a key witness gets immunity to testify in front of the grand juryhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-gaetz-ex-girlfriend-immunity-sex-trafficking-probe/\u00a0\u2026— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1642464230
Ask not for whom the clock ticks; the clock ticks for you: Representative Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend granted immunity in sex trafficking probe - CBS Newshttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-gaetz-ex-girlfriend-immunity-sex-trafficking-probe/\u00a0\u2026— Frank Figliuzzi (@Frank Figliuzzi) 1642468087
Welp. Matt has reason to be seriously concerned, but we knew that already.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-gaetz-ex-girlfriend-immunity-sex-trafficking-probe/\u00a0\u2026— Elizabeth C. McLaughlin (she/her) (@Elizabeth C. McLaughlin (she/her)) 1642467385
Remember: it only takes 12 members of a grand jury to issue an indictment\u2026https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-gaetz-ex-girlfriend-immunity-sex-trafficking-probe/\u00a0\u2026— Katie S. Phang (@Katie S. Phang) 1642464172
The federal government does not grant immunity to everyone, and will only do so for important witnesses needed to secure an indictment or a conviction.\n\nThe fact that Gaetz's ex-girlfriend has been granted immunity to testify shows that an indictment is likely coming soon.— Aaron Parnas (@Aaron Parnas) 1642466360
Matt Gaetz\u2019s ex-girlfriend got immunity from federal prosecution to testify against him in a sex trafficking investigation and he is still on House Judiciary Committee. \n\nThat must be corrected immediately.— Daniel Uhlfelder (@Daniel Uhlfelder) 1642467435
Not for nothing, I\u2019m guessing\u2026https://twitter.com/4lisaguerrero/status/1483231802735009792\u00a0\u2026— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1642465395
Matt Gaetz has gone back to chest-thumping because he can't help himself, but the investigation against him on sex trafficking of minors has continued to develop, and the testimony today in the Grand Jury from a former girlfriend is an important development.— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1642012988
