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- GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz said David McGee, a former DOJ official, was trying to extort him.
- McGee told The Daily Beast Gaetz's assertions were "completely, totally false."
- The DOJ is investigating Gaetz for potential violations of federal sex trafficking laws.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
A former Department of Justice official denied an accusation by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, saying the claims are false and merely a way to distract from the investigation into whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws.
In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, Gaetz said that David McGee, now a lawyer at Beggs & Lane, a law firm in Pensacola, Florida was going after his family for money to help conceal the DOJ investigation.
McGee told The Daily Beast the reports of extortion were "completely, totally false."
"This is a blatant attempt to distract from the fact that Matt Gaetz is apparently about to indicted for sex trafficking underage girls," McGee told the Daily Beast on Tuesday.
During the Fox interview, Gaetz denied reports that he ever traveled with a 17-year-old girl and alleged the former DOJ official targeted his family and is seeking "$25 million while threatening to smear my name."
In a tweet, Gaetz said his father has been cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation by wearing a wire to catch those attempting to extort him and called on the DOJ to "immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations."
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