THE "THE 11th HOUR" WITH BRIAN
WILLIAMS STARTS NOW.
>>> GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN, DAY
70 OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.
THERE IS EXPLOSIVE NEW REPORTING
TONIGHT ABOUT REPUBLICAN FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ WHO’S
REPRESENTED HIS DISTRICT SINCE
2017, MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AS
ONE OF THE TRUMPIEST MEMBERS OF
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" REPORTING
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS
INVESTIGATING GAETZ OVER, QUOTE,
WHETHER HE HAD A SEXUAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH A 17-YEAR-OLD
AND PAID FOR HER TO TRAVEL WITH
HIM.
THE INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED IN
THE FINAL MONTHS OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION UNDER ATTORNEY
GENERAL WILLIAM BARR.
KATIE BENNER, ONE OF THE "TIMES"
REPORTS WHO BROKE THIS STORY IS
STANDING BY TO JOIN US IN A FEW
MINUTES.
NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN BROUGHT
AGAINST THE CONGRESSMAN.
TONIGHT HE UP AND DOWN DENIED
THE ALLEGATIONS DURING AN
INTERVIEW WITH TUCKER CARLSON.
>> IT IS A HORRIBLE ALLEGATION
AND IT IS A LIE.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS RUNNING
A STORY THAT I HAVE TRAVELED
WITH A 17-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, AND
THAT IS VERIFIABLY FALSE.
PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT MY TRAVEL
RECORDS AND SEE THAT THAT IS NOT
THE CASE.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IS AN
Proven quality sleep, is life-changing sleep.
>>> THIS FORMER DEPARTMENT OF IT
JUSTICE OFFICIAL TOMORROW WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE CONTACTED BY MY
FATHER SO THAT SPECIFIC
INSTRUCTIONS COULD BE GIVEN
REGARDING THE WIRING OF
$4.5 MILLION AS A DOWN PAYMENT
ON THIS BRIBE.
I DON’T THINK IT’S A COINCIDENCE
THAT TONIGHT SOMEHOW "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" IS LEAKING THIS
INFORMATION, SMEARING ME, AND
RUINING THE INVESTIGATION.
>> MORE TWISTS AND TURNS TONIGHT
IN THIS BREAKING STORY
CONCERNING THE FEDERAL INQUIRY
IS WHAT THEY’RE CALLING IT
INVOLVING FLORIDA REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ OVER
POSSIBLE SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A
17-YEAR-OLD.
HERE FOR MORE IS KATIE BENNER,
JUSTICE REPORTER FOR "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" WHO BROKE THE
INITIAL STORY IN THE "TIMES."
I HAVE TO ASK YOU TO FOLD IN THE
CONGRESSMAN’S STRAIGHT-UP DENIAL
TONIGHT, HIS INSISTENCE THAT
THIS WAS PART OF AN EXTORTION
AGAINST HIM AND HIS FAMILY, HIS
FATHER’S WEARING OF A WIRE
CERTIFY REPETITIOUS RECORDINGS
HE SAYS FOR THE FBI.
HOW DOES THIS FIT IN YOUR
INITIAL REPORTING?
>> SURE.
INITIALLY WE DID NOT REPORT
ANYTHING ABOUT HIS FATHER
WORKING WITH THE FBI AND WEARING
A WIRE IN ORDER TO STOP AN
EXTORTION SCHEME OF IT WAS
ACTUALLY MATT GAETZ WHO PUBLICLY
DISCLOSED THAT.
SO TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT
INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN SCUTTLED,
IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT IT’S
BECAUSE MATT GAETZ FIRST
PUBLICLY DISCLOSED THAT
INVESTIGATION.
NOW, IN TERMS OF OUR REPORTING,
WE LOOK AT AN INVESTIGATION INTO
MATT GAETZ THAT BEGAN IN AUGUST,
IN LATE SUMMER OF 2020 WHEN
DONALD TRUMP WAS THE PRESIDENT
AND WILLIAM BARR WAS THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
OTHER OFFICIALS HAD TO SIGN OFF
ON THE INVESTIGATION AND OKAY IT
BECAUSE BARR HIMSELF LAST YEAR
IN THE WINTER SAID THAT ALL SUCH
INVESTIGATIONS NEEDED TO BE ONE
RUN BY TOP JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS.
SO THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNDER DONALD
TRUMP THOUGHT WAS SERIOUS ENOUGH
TO PURSUE, AND IT INVOLVES
ALLEGATIONS, INCLUDING THE
ALLEGATION THAT CONGRESSMAN
GAETZ HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH A
GIRL WHO WAS ONLY 17 AND TOOK
HER ACROSS STATE LINES.
>> KATY, THE GAETZ ALLEGATION OF
EXTORTION IS AGAINST ONE DAVID
McGEE, A FORMER FEDERAL
PROSECUTOR.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, A FORMIDABLE
MEMBER OF THE BAR.
HE HAS PUT OUT A STATEMENT
TONIGHT READING IN PART, ANY
REPORTS OF EXTORTION INVOLVING
HIM OR HIS HIM ARE COMPLETELY OR
TOTALLY FALSE.
QUOTE, THIS IS A BLATANT ATTEMPT
TO DISTRACT FROM THE FACT THAT
MATT GAETZ IS APPARENTLY ABOUT
TO BE INDICTED FOR SEX
TRAFFICKING UNDERAGE GIRLS.
WHAT’S YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MR.
McGEE?
>> SO WE KNOW HE DID WORK AT THE
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, BUT HE
WORKED THERE MORE THAN TWO
DECADES AGO.
HE WAS THE FIRST ASSISTANT IN
THE OFFICE OF THE NORTHERN
DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, WHICH IS
THE DISTRICT IN WHICH MATT GAETZ
IS A CONGRESSMAN.
BUT AGAIN, THIS WAS DECADES AGO.
IT SEEMED LIKE MATT GAETZ WAS
TRYING TO SAY THAT SOMETHING
ELSE SOMEBODY WHO’S CURRENTLY
INVOLVED IN THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT SOMEHOW.
HE’S NOT CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
NICE PRIVATE PRACTICE AND HAS
NOT BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE DOJ
FOR SOME TIME.
>> AND I DON’T WANT TO TAKE YOU
INTO THE AREA OF ANALYSIS, BUT
HOURS BEFORE THIS REPORT BROKE
MATT GAETZ GENERATED TALK
EARLIER TODAY, ESPECIALLY ON
SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN HE WAS MUSING
ABOUT LEAVING CONGRESS AND
TAKING A JOB AT NEWSMAX.
HOW DOES ANY OF YOUR REPORTING
SPEAK TO THE STATUS OF THAT?
>> YOU KNOW, ALL I CAN SAY IS
THAT REPORTERS HAVE BEEN
INTERESTED IN WHAT WAS GOING ON
WITH CONGRESSMAN GAETZ FOR A
WHILE, AND TO SEE THOSE MUSINGS
HAPPEN BOTH IN THE PRESS AND
THEN ON TWITTER THAT HE WOULD
LEAVE HIS SEAT GIVEN THE FACT
THAT HE IS A CLOSE ALPHA DONALD
TRUMP, THAT TRUMP COULD RUN
AGAIN IN 2024, THAT HE SEEMS
WELL SITUATED AND HE’S POPULAR
IN HIS DISTRICT.
IT DID SEEM ODD, AND I WOULD SAY