Rep. Matt Gaetz reportedly bragged about the 'access' to younger women he got from a former government official who was indicted for sex trafficking
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Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz reportedly bragged about how he got "access" to women from a Florida tax collector who's since been indicted for sex trafficking.
The former tax collector, Joel Greenberg, introduced Gaetz to the women, The Washington Post reported.
The DOJ is now investigating whether Gaetz had sex with a minor and broke sex trafficking laws.
The Washington Post reported on Friday that Rep. Matt Gaetz rescheduled Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign events in 2018 so that they'd "end the night in a college town."
Gaetz was assisting DeSantis' gubernatorial campaign at the time, and sources told the outlet that Gaetz sought to hang out with younger crowds during the election.
A source also told The Post that Gaetz boasted about the "access" to women he got from associating with Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector who was indicted last year on 14 felony counts, including carrying out the sex trafficking of a minor between the ages of 14 and 17. Greenberg has pleaded not guilty.
"Matt was never shy about talking about his relationship to Joel and the access to women that Joel provided him," the source said. The Post also reported that Gaetz showed photos and videos of nude women to people involved in Florida politics.
People who heard Gaetz and Greenberg discuss their encounters said that Greenberg introduced Gaetz to women, and that Gaetz had sex with them and later showed photos of them to people in Florida.
"What these videos implied was 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 has been investigating whether Gaetz broke federal sex trafficking laws and whether he engaged 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 had paid women for sex at various Florida hotels. As part of the wide-ranging investigation, the Justice Department is said to be examining whether Gaetz used campaign money during his encounters with women.
On Thursday, CNN reported that Gaetz showed House colleagues photos and videos of nude women and bragged about his sex life.
The Post's reporting on Friday indicates that Gaetz may have engaged in the same behavior at parties with Greenberg and others involved in Florida politics.
Earlier Friday, Gaetz's spokesperson, Luke Ball, resigned from his position, citing principle as the reason, according to NBC News.
"I have never paid for sex. I have never had sex with an underage person as an adult," Gaetz told the Post. "I have dated women in college and graduate school, and have boasted about how great they are across the board, as boyfriends do. At times women I have dated have joined me at campaign events."
Gaetz is also alleged to have sought sexual encounters on websites like Seeking Arrangements and is reported to have used drugs and given drugs to a woman during at least one of the experiences, according to the Times.
According to the Post, an anonymous complaint was submitted to former House Speaker Paul Ryan's office in 2018 about Gaetz making a young female staffer uncomfortable. Ryan's staffers reportedly had a conversation with Gaetz, but the issue was not looked into any further.
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