WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — An Illinois congressman is now the first Republican to call for Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to resign.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) tweeted Thursday that Gaetz “needs to resign,” along with a link to an article by The Daily Beast allegedly linking Gaetz to a possible sex crime.
NewsNation has not independently confirmed The Daily Beast’s reporting.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and has not been charged with any crime.
Joel Greenberg, an associate of Gaetz, could be closing in on a plea deal with prosecutors involving a sex trafficking ring.
Federal prosecutors are examining whether the embattled 38-year-old representative paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex and violated federal sex trafficking laws, people familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press.
No charges has been filed.
Kinzinger has been critical of other Republicans in the past. In January, he was one of fewer than a dozen House Republicans to vote for Donald Trump’s impeachment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.