BBC News image copyrightGetty Images Matt Gaetz, a rising star in the Republican Party known for his flashy lifestyle and frequent flirtations with controversy, may now be embroiled in a sex scandal that carries very real legal jeopardy. Gaetz-gate, as it is being called, began with reports last week that the third-term congressman from Florida may have had sexual relations with a 17-year-old girl. Since then, the story has spiralled into a world of "sugar daddies" - men who lavish young women with cash and gifts - extortion, fraud and sex trafficking. The congressman has vehemently denied all allegations and dismissed calls for his resignation. One of Donald Trump's most loyal defenders, who has stuck by the ex-president through all of his scandals and controversies, is now facing an existential political crisis of his own, however.