The Florida Republican’s request was seen by White House officials as a non-starter, people told the Times, and was eventually never allowed.
The Times reported on Tuesday that it is unclear what Getz knew about the investigation at the time of his request, and did not tell White House aides when he apologized that he was under investigation.
The newspaper said that some of Trump’s allies have in recent days testified that Getz had requested multiple pardons – not just for himself – as a move to eliminate his own potential legal risk. .
However, a spokesman for Getz denied to the Times that his pardon request was related to the Justice Department’s investigation.
“Entry-level political operatives have seized a pardon call from Representative Getz – where he has pardoned President Trump for ‘everyone, his administration, who is foreign’ – these false and increasingly bizarre, partisan accusations. With, ”the spokesperson told the outlet.
“Those comments have been on record for some time, and President Trump also retweeted Congress, who tweeted them himself.”
One person told CNN about the investigation that federal officials were investigating at Getz as part of a broader investigation into the trafficking allegations leveled against another Florida politician, an investigation into the Trump-era Justice Department Attorney General William Barr began in the closing months.
According to sources familiar with the case, no crime has been committed on Getz and the investigation is still in its early stages.
