On Wednesday, ABC News reported on texts House ethics probe investigators had discovered between Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and an unnamed woman. Those texts purported to show the Florida congressman propositioning the woman to come on a three-day weekend trip to the Florida Keys. A Gaetz spokesperson told ABC News, “Rep. Gaetz does not know anything about the woman you're referencing, though he takes thousands of selfies each year.”
Selfies? The Daily Beast is now reporting that they have obtained at least some of the texts and spoke with the woman’s attorney about her previous testimony to investigators, and that story doesn’t jibe with the “does not know anything about the woman you're referencing” response.
This attorney told The Daily Beast on Thursday that the woman, in fact, received payments in connection with multiple sex parties with people in Gaetz’s circle. Her lawyer said that, in response to a subpoena, she testified about her experiences to the U.S. Attorneys investigating Gaetz. And she turned over text messages, photos, and other evidence to the Justice Department as part of its child sex trafficking inquiry into the Florida congressman, the lawyer said.
The woman also told investigators she had sex with Gaetz at a party she was paid to attend, and the sex was consensual. She also spoke to investigators about the drug- and alcohol-drenched nature of the parties, which was reported by various outlets at the time. The attorney told the outlet that the hedonistic nature of parties became an issue for investigators because witnesses’ memory of events wasn’t always clear.
When the DOJ announced it would not be pursuing charges against Gaetz last year, offering no explanation, many wondered whether or not the House ethics probe into the allegations, which had begun before the Justice Department’s investigation, would continue. Gaetz reportedly blamed then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy for allowing the probe to continue, and waged a divisive campaign in public and private against the former Republican leader, exacerbating the already fractured nature of the GOP.
The attorney who spoke with The Daily Beast was dismayed that the DOJ didn’t charge Gaetz with anything last year considering the existing evidence that has been reported in the public record.
Former close associate and convicted sex trafficker Joel Greenberg has reportedly told investigators that he witnessed Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old minor. The Daily Beast reported back in 2021 that Greenberg sent a confessional letter saying the same thing to Donald Trump associate Roger Stone in the final months of Trump’s presidency as part of his attempt to get a pardon. Gaetz has denied ever paying for sex or having sex with a minor.
Fritz Scheller, a lawyer for Greenberg, told The New York Times he’s given over evidence of his client’s claims to the ethics investigators. Scheller was notably critical of the Justice Department’s decision not to charge Gaetz only a couple months after Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison. “Why prosecute the privileged when defendants of limited culpability provide sufficient cannon fodder?”
When The Daily Beast asked Gaetz’s spokesperson for a comment on their story supporting ABC News’ report, they returned the statement, “Rep. Gaetz does not know anything about the woman you’re referencing.” The outlet sent the name of the woman but received no response.
All of this hedonism reminds one of how former Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a noted liar, promised to burn down his own political party as he came to the end of his tenure. Maybe, like most liars, he told the truth about some things.
Campaign Action
Ohhhhh yeah! Democrats kicked ass and then some in Tuesday's special election in New York, so of course we're talking all about it on this week's episode of "The Downballot." Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain how Tom Suozzi's win affects the math for Democrats' plan to take back the House, then dive into the seemingly bottomless list of excuses Republicans have been making to handwave their defeat away. The bottom line: Suozzi effectively neutralized attacks on immigration—and abortion is still a huge loser for the GOP.
