Meanwhile, his wingman is said to be close to cooperating with prosecutors as well.
When we last checked in with Representative Matt Gaetz and the Justice Department investigation into accusations that he paid women for sex and, separately, slept with a minor and transported her across state lines, things were not looking great for the Florida congressman, whose wingman Joel Greenberg had reportedly written a “confession” letter detailing their many alleged sex crimes. And almost two weeks later, things…continue to not look good!
CNN reports that federal investigators are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who also once dated the Republican lawmaker, according to sources familiar with the matter. (That, of course, is on top of the formal cooperation they could secure from Greenberg, CNN notes. Greenberg is negotiating a plea deal over 33 charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, bribery, stalking, and defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, and is facing a deadline this week to cut the plea deal with prosecutors.) Investigators are reportedly interested in the assistance of the former girlfriend, who was reportedly on a 2018 Bahamas trip with Gaetz that has come under scrutiny for potentially violating the Mann Act, which makes it a felony to transport people across state lines to engage in prostitution. The ex-girlfriend is believed to “have knowledge of drug use and arrangements with women,” sources told CNN.
The Bahamas trip has become a focus of investigators, who are scrutinizing whether women were paid to travel for sex with Gaetz and others, and whether the trip was part of an effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, CNN has previously reported. Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress.
The former girlfriend was also involved in some of the financial transactions that the FBI has obtained, and investigators are pursuing what knowledge Gaetz had about the payments and activities, sources say. She now works in the Florida state government, according to state records.
Last month, Politico reported that the ex-girlfriend was a woman whose nude video Gaetz, embodying a creepy overgrown frat boy, allegedly showed to other members of Congress. In 2017, according to CNN, she was interning for a Republican lawmaker when she was supposedly fired for being a Democrat. At that point, Gaetz asked Florida Democratic representative Darren Soto to hire her as an unpaid intern.
The cooperation of Greenberg and the former girlfriend could be among the final steps in the probe of Gaetz. Investigators view both as crucial to understanding the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving payments for sex, sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN. The ex-girlfriend could also be questioned by investigators about a second woman as they try to determine whether Gaetz may have slept with that woman when she was only 17.
Greenberg’s lawyer said in a court hearing last month that Greenberg intended to plea, which is expected to include a cooperation agreement with the government. The deadline set by the judge for the two sides to reach a deal is approaching at the end of this week, though the agreement has yet to be finalized. CNN previously reported Gaetz and Greenberg used digital payment applications to send hundreds of dollars to at least one woman who attended parties in the Orlando area, which included young women, drugs, and sex. The receipts viewed by CNN include payments that took place between 2018 and 2019. At least one of those payments indicated in a label that it was to compensate for travel.
Timothy Jansen, a lawyer for the ex-girlfriend, declined CNN’s request for comment. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and a spokesman for the congressman told CNN, “Your ‘story’ is simply a regurgitation of the same falsehoods you’ve been peddling for two months now without a shred of evidence or a single on-record accuser.” Gaetz has been on tour with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to “attack Democrats and call out Republicans they deem as insufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump.”
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When we last checked in with Representative Matt Gaetz and the Justice Department investigation into accusations that he paid women for sex and, separately, slept with a minor and transported her across state lines, things were not looking great for the Florida congressman, whose wingman Joel Greenberg had reportedly written a “confession” letter detailing their many alleged sex crimes. And almost two weeks later, things…continue to not look good!
CNN reports that federal investigators are seeking the cooperation of a former Capitol Hill intern who also once dated the Republican lawmaker, according to sources familiar with the matter. (That, of course, is on top of the formal cooperation they could secure from Greenberg, CNN notes. Greenberg is negotiating a plea deal over 33 charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, bribery, stalking, and defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program, and is facing a deadline this week to cut the plea deal with prosecutors.) Investigators are reportedly interested in the assistance of the former girlfriend, who was reportedly on a 2018 Bahamas trip with Gaetz that has come under scrutiny for potentially violating the Mann Act, which makes it a felony to transport people across state lines to engage in prostitution. The ex-girlfriend is believed to “have knowledge of drug use and arrangements with women,” sources told CNN.
The Bahamas trip has become a focus of investigators, who are scrutinizing whether women were paid to travel for sex with Gaetz and others, and whether the trip was part of an effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, CNN has previously reported. Gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to loosen laws regulating the drug, both as a state representative in Florida and as a member of Congress.
The former girlfriend was also involved in some of the financial transactions that the FBI has obtained, and investigators are pursuing what knowledge Gaetz had about the payments and activities, sources say. She now works in the Florida state government, according to state records.
Last month, Politico reported that the ex-girlfriend was a woman whose nude video Gaetz, embodying a creepy overgrown frat boy, allegedly showed to other members of Congress. In 2017, according to CNN, she was interning for a Republican lawmaker when she was supposedly fired for being a Democrat. At that point, Gaetz asked Florida Democratic representative Darren Soto to hire her as an unpaid intern.
The cooperation of Greenberg and the former girlfriend could be among the final steps in the probe of Gaetz. Investigators view both as crucial to understanding the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving payments for sex, sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN. The ex-girlfriend could also be questioned by investigators about a second woman as they try to determine whether Gaetz may have slept with that woman when she was only 17.
Greenberg’s lawyer said in a court hearing last month that Greenberg intended to plea, which is expected to include a cooperation agreement with the government. The deadline set by the judge for the two sides to reach a deal is approaching at the end of this week, though the agreement has yet to be finalized. CNN previously reported Gaetz and Greenberg used digital payment applications to send hundreds of dollars to at least one woman who attended parties in the Orlando area, which included young women, drugs, and sex. The receipts viewed by CNN include payments that took place between 2018 and 2019. At least one of those payments indicated in a label that it was to compensate for travel.
Timothy Jansen, a lawyer for the ex-girlfriend, declined CNN’s request for comment. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, and a spokesman for the congressman told CNN, “Your ‘story’ is simply a regurgitation of the same falsehoods you’ve been peddling for two months now without a shred of evidence or a single on-record accuser.” Gaetz has been on tour with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to “attack Democrats and call out Republicans they deem as insufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump.”
Report: Matt Gaetz’s Intern Ex-Girlfriend May Soon Be Cooperating With the Feds
Meanwhile, his wingman is said to be close to cooperating with prosecutors as well.
