Rep. Matt Gaetz is in the clear after the DOJ officially decided to not pursue charges related to sex trafficking.

Gaetz had been the target of a years-long government leaking operation, painting him as guilty of allegedly trafficking a 17-year-old girl. While no actual evidence of such an act ever emerged, the left ran with the accusation as if it was a proven fact, relentlessly smearing the Florida congressman. Infamous conspiracy theorist Rebekah Jones also made it a centerpiece of her failed campaign against Gaetz.

The DOJ had other ideas, though, and has now formally told those involved in the case that the drawn-out saga has ended.

BREAKING: DOJ formally decides not to charge Congressman Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe. Prosecutors have been informing witnesses today of final decision by DOJ leadership after investigators recommended not moving forward back in the fall. More to come on @CNN

— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) February 15, 2023

This was always the most likely outcome after it became clear the DOJ had absolutely nothing to support its case. Still, for years, various leaks were propagated, with the only possibility being that they came from government officials. That has become a favorite tactic of the “deep state,” with partisan federal officials trying to convict their political enemies in the court of public opinion despite the actual legal cases being weak to non-existent.

Naturally, word of Gaetz’s victory isn’t being taken well by the left. Rage-induced coping began immediately.

BREAKING: Biden's DOJ decides that they will not charge Congressman Matt Gaetz in their “sex-trafficking” probe.

This is how the DOJ works. If there is evidence in which they believe can lead to a conviction they move forward.

Keep this in mind if/when they indict Trump.

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) February 15, 2023

If you’re ever in need of a quick and dirty definition of the words

“crestfallen” or “disconsolate”

just show this tweet to the person. They’ll get it. pic.twitter.com/DEaJdrN8E6

— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) February 15, 2023

So the DOJ has decided that there were so many drugs and so much alcohol involved in Matt Gaetz and his friends having sex with underaged girls that they don’t think they could get a conviction. USA USA USA!

— LAP€🎨. (@artsetsufree) February 15, 2023

To people like that, it never mattered whether Gaetz was guilty of a crime or not. They were content to have the government do their dirty work, confident the abuses they were propagating would never be committed against them. That’s usually a bad bet when it comes to electoral politics, where things can change in one election. Perhaps the left should be more careful about setting really bad, damaging precedents in the name of political expediency.

Who am I kidding? This isn’t going to change a thing in how the left operates. The punishment for Gaetz was the pursuit and the illegal leaks that hampered his life (and his checkbook) for years on end. Even without filing charges, the bad actors abusing the DOJ got what they wanted. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.