Kinzinger is the first Republican lawmaker to call for Gaetz’s resignation

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Rep. GOP Adam KinzingerAdam Daniel Kinzinger: First GOP lawmaker asks Gaetz to step down Marjorie Taylor Greene, who makes more than $ 2 million in first quarter The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden could find zero GOP support for work plan (Ill.) Thursday night he called Rep. Matt GaetzMatthew (Matt) Gaetz: First Republican lawmaker asks Gaetz to resign Katie Hill for Matt Gaetz: “I feel betrayed” Gaetz paid the sex trafficking defendant, who later sent the same amount of cash to adolescent girls: report MORE (R-Fla.) To resign amid allegations that Gaetz had sex with a minor and violated sex trafficking laws.

In a small tweet, the Illinois Republican wrote, “Matt Gaetz needs to resign.”

The tweet included a link to an article in The Daily Beast that reported that Gaetz used Venmo to pay an alleged sex trafficker $ 900 in May 2018. The Beast reports that the man, Joel Greenberg, sent the same amount of money to teenage girls.

According to reports, Greenberg should make a cooperation agreement and cooperate with prosecutors in the coming days.

Kinzinger, a vocal critic of the former President TrumpDonald Trump: The first Republican lawmaker asks Gaetz to resign Katie Hill for Matt Gaetz: “I feel betrayed” Anne Frank’s half-sister: Trump “obviously admired Hitler” MORE and several of his allies, he is the first Republican congressman to publicly call for Gaetz’s resignation.

Gaetz has long been an ally and advocate for the former president.

Both Kinzinger and Gaetz have shared a controversial and sometimes heated relationship over the past year.

In early February, Kinzinger told The Washington Post that he had a “huge list” of Republican lawmakers he would like to see challenged to perpetuate unsupported theories around the 2020 election. In particular, Kinzinger pointed to Gaetz and Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Another staunch supporter of Trump, accusing them of prioritizing fame over legislating.

“Oh, there’s a huge list. … I mean, look, all you have to do is see people like, of course, Marjorie Taylor GreeneMarjorie Taylor GreeneRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will meet “soon” with Trump at the shutters of the Florida site in Florida, following reports identifying Republican developers toward the runoff on GA-14 MORE. Look at people like Matt Gaetz, who knows better. I think neither of them believes the things they attribute, they just want fame, ”he said at the time.

In a tweet posted in response to Kinzinger’s criticism, Gaetz challenged him to “F — ing wear it.”

Kinzinger’s news comes after The New York Times first reported last week that the Justice Department was investigating Gaetz for an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and the charges he had paid for the trip.

Gaetz told The Hill on Friday that he has no plans to resign and said rumors suggesting otherwise were “false” and that it was “very safe” to say he had no intention of doing so.

Several of Gaetz’s critics left, including the former rep. Katie HillKatherine (Katie) Lauren Hill: First GOP lawmaker asks Gaetz to drop Katie Hill over Matt Gaetz: “I feel betrayed” Judge launches Katie Hill’s lawsuit against the Daily Mail for nude photos MORE (D-California), he has been asked to resign.

Hill told Chris Hayes of MSNBC on Thursday that she felt “betrayed” by Gaetz after the two became friends during their time in Congress.

Two of Gaetz’s employees have so far resigned in light of the allegations. The Times reported Thursday that Gaetz’s legislative director, Devin Murphy, had resigned last week shortly after his communications chief, Luke Ball, also resigned.

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