- Florida Deputy Matt Gaetz allegedly boasted of how he got “access” to the women of a Florida tax collector who has already been indicted for sex trafficking.
- Former tax collector Joel Greenberg introduced Gaetz to women, The Washington Post reported.
- The DOJ is now investigating whether Gaetz had sex with a minor and violated sex trafficking laws.
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The Washington Post reported on Friday that Representative Matt Gaetz rescheduled Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign events in 2018 to “end the night in a college town”.
Gaetz was assisting the DeSantis governor campaign at the time, and sources told the agency that Gaetz was looking to hang out with younger crowds during the election.
A source also told the Post that Gaetz boasted of the “access” to women he obtained by associating with Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was indicted last year for 14 crimes, including conducting sex trafficking in women. minor between the ages of 14 and 17 years old. Greenberg pleaded not guilty.
“Matt was never ashamed to talk about his relationship with Joel and the access to women that Joel has given him,” said the source. The Post also reported that Gaetz showed pictures and videos of naked women to people involved in Florida politics.
People who heard Gaetz and Greenberg discuss their meetings said that Greenberg introduced Gaetz to women, and that Gaetz had sex with them and then showed pictures of them to people in Florida.
“What these videos implied is that there was something of a sexual nature going on with everyone,” the source told The Post.
Friday’s revelation follows news from the New York Times that the Justice Department is investigating whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws and whether he was involved in an illegal sexual relationship with a 17-year-old.
The Times also revealed that Gaetz’s investigation was linked to an investigation into Greenberg and that the two men paid women to have sex at several hotels in Florida. As part of a broader investigation, the Justice Department is examining whether Gaetz used campaign money during his meetings with women.
On Thursday, CNN reported that Gaetz showed House’s colleagues photos and videos of naked women and boasted about their sex life.
The Post’s report on Friday indicates that Gaetz may have practiced the same behavior at parties with Greenberg and others involved in Florida politics.
On Friday, Gaetz spokesman Luke Ball resigned, citing the principle as the reason, according to NBC News.
“I never paid for sex. I never had sex with a minor as an adult,” Gaetz told the Post. “I dated women in college and graduate school, and I bragged about how great they are in every way, like boyfriends do.
Gaetz also reportedly looked for sexual encounters on sites like Getting Arrangements and reportedly used drugs and gave drugs to a woman during at least one of the experiments, according to the Times.
According to the Post, an anonymous complaint was sent to the office of former Mayor Paul Ryan in 2018 about Gaetz making a young employee uncomfortable. Ryan’s team is reported to have spoken to Gaetz, but the matter has not been discussed further.