April 5, 2021: Rep. Matt Gaetz Had to Pay for Sex?

 

4/5/21: Last week, I wrote that Rep. Matt Gaetz might soon be accused in an investigation involving sex trafficking of minors. I said that it was too soon to start chanting, “Lock him up!” 

Now it might be time to clear our throats. 

CNN has reported that the Florida lawmaker and Trump-suck-up enjoyed showing colleagues – on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives – pictures of naked women he had slept with. 

No class. 

Not illegal.

Matt thought it was funny to wear a gas mask during COVID-19.

(See “BLOGGER’S NOTE” below.)

The New York Times has also added details to an increasingly sordid story; and reporters say they’ve seen text messages and receipts. 

Investigators believe Joel Greenberg, a pal of Matt’s, who was indicted last year, “met the women [involved in this story] through websites that connect people who go on dates in exchange for gifts, fine dining, travel and allowances. 

Dates? Okay. 

Still legal.

 

Greenberg is alleged to have introduced the women to randy Matt, who also had sex with them. In fact, one of the women allegedly agreed to have sex with a third associate of the two. 

Kind of like prostitution.

 

The Times has seen plenty of documentation, it would appear, although what it will prove is a separate matter: 

In encounters during 2019 and 2020, Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg instructed the women to meet at certain times and places, often at hotels around Florida, and would tell them the amount of money they were willing to pay, according to the messages and interviews.

 

One person said that the men also paid in cash, sometimes withdrawn from a hotel ATM.

 

Some of the men and women took ecstasy, an illegal mood-altering drug [emphasis added], before having sex, including Mr. Gaetz, two people familiar with the encounters said.

 

In some cases, Mr. Gaetz asked women to help find others who might be interested in having sex with him and his friends, according to two people familiar with those conversations. Should anyone inquire about their relationships, one person said, Mr. Gaetz told the women to say that he had paid for hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates.

 

Thursday night, Rep. Gaetz’s office issued a complete denial: 

“Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex,” the statement said. “Matt Gaetz refutes all the disgusting allegations completely. Matt Gaetz has never ever been on any such websites whatsoever. Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life.”

 

It didn’t help when Congressman Gaetz’s spokesperson suddenly resigned and told at least one reporter he did so “out of principle.”

 

Since at least one of the girls Greenberg and Gaetz are said to have paid was 17, you can see the Two G’s might be getting nervous. Gaetz is a lawyer by training. So he should know going in that penalties may be stiff. Offering anyone under age 18 items of value in exchange for sex is a violation of federal child sex-trafficking laws. That would include providing anything of value: such as fancy meals, hotel rooms, drugs, alcohol, and even cigarettes. Conviction means a mandatory prison sentence of ten years. 

We have also learned that Greenberg was indicted again on additional charges this week. He is accused of submitting fake claims to receive pandemic relief aid. Then he allegedly tried to bribe a government official.

 

Mr. Greenberg is a scofflaw. He goes on trial in June; but he was sent to jail in March for violating the terms of his bail. 

Other odds and ends to the story: 

Did Gaetz divert campaign funds in order to pay women for sex? 

Were fake IDs provided for some of the women? 

Even Gaetz’s denial of wrongdoing, delivered during an appearance on Fox News, rang hollow. “Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you’re dating who are of legal age is not a crime,” he said. 

Guilty? Not guilty? We’ll wait and see.

 

Sleazy? Yeah. Definitely sleazy – which, if you have been following Gaetz’s political career, is no surprise.

 

* 

GAIL COLLINS, writing a humorous piece for the Times, notes that while Rep. Gaetz has never managed to pass a single bill during his two terms in Congress, he has managed to appear on Fox News at least 179 times.

BLOGGER’S NOTE: Gaetz thought it would be funny to flaunt mask rules in Congress. So he donned a gasmask to mock the idea – of what? – keeping others safe? A check on March 21, 2022, shows that nearly 73,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19.