Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz under Federal Investigation for Sexual Misconduct

Image courtesy of Andrew Harnik/AP

By Margaret Adams

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for illegal drug use and sexual misconduct. The investigation concerns his alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year old and paying for her to travel across state lines with him, which could violate federal sex trafficking laws. 

“The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct,” said the panel’s chairman, Rep. Ted Deutch (D), and ranking member, Rep. Jackie Walorski (R), in a written statement.

While he confirms the investigation, Gaetz denies the allegations, calling it an extortion attempt by a former Justice Department official. 

“I have not yet begun to fight for the country I love and for the nation I know benefits from America first principles! I’m not going anywhere,” said Gaetz at a Women for America First dinner in Florida. “I won’t be intimidated by a lying media, and I won’t be extorted by a former DOJ official and the crooks he is working with. The truth will prevail.”

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Gaetz denied the existence of the 17-year-old and the allegation that his father was supposed to pay a $4.5 million down payment to the former Justice Department official on Wednesday to make the allegations “go away.”

“That was one of the weirdest interviews I have ever conducted,” said Carlson later on in the show. “Don’t quite understand it, but we will bring you more when we find out.”

The investigation into Gaetz came to light from a larger investigation of a former local Florida official and Gaetz’s colleague, Joel Greenberg. Greenburg was indicted last summer on three dozen charges, including sex-trafficking of the same minor Gaetz is being investigated for, according to the New York Times report. Greenberg is likely to enter a plea deal in court within the coming months. 

“I am sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today,” said Greenburg’s attorney Fritz Scheller told reporters outside a federal courthouse in Florida, referring to Gaetz as a “potential co-defendant” to Greenberg.

WhatsApp messages from August 14 of last year between Greenburg and some constituents, including Gaetz, revealed that Greenburg reached out to Gaetz for help getting a pardon from Trump. Gaetz does not confirm or deny this, but the messages also revealed that they referred to the young woman in the middle of this investigation as “Vintage 99,” referencing her birth year that she used as her online name on SeekingArrangement, a dating website that connects women with wealthy, older men. 

“I’m having to pay for vintage 99 to retain [a] lawyer,” wrote Greenberg in the WhatsApp chat to the friend, who revealed the messages to POLITICO. “They [federal agents] contacted her and are wanting her to talk. She doesn’t want to talk to them.”

Gaetz wrote an op-ed in the Washington Examiner defending himself against the sex trafficking allegations; he revealed that he does not plan to resign and claimed the allegations are a part of a smear campaign against him.

“Let me first remind everyone that I am a representative in Congress, not a monk, and certainly not a criminal. Just as they once falsely attacked President Donald Trump as a Russian asset, Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a gang rapist, and even John McCain as having fathered a child out of wedlock, they now attack me,” wrote Gaetz in the op-ed. “Since I’m taking my turn under the gun, let me address the allegations against me directly. First, I have never, ever paid for sex. And second, I, as an adult man, have not slept with a 17-year-old.”

Gaetz also allegedly attempted to acquire a “blanket” pardon from Trump in his last weeks in office for him and undisclosed colleagues; Gaetz denied the pardon request. 

“The recent false allegations against me are not something I’ve ever discussed with Trump, pardons or otherwise,” said Gaetz to POLITICO.

Trump publicly denied the pardon request, as well as allegations of him denying a meeting with Gaetz after his allegations went public. 

“Fake News CNN, relying on all anonymous sources, meaning they probably made the whole thing up, wrote a very dishonest story claiming Congressman Matt Gaetz asked for a meeting with me at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, and was denied,” said Trump said in a statement. “This is completely false.”

Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger was the first Republican to publicly plead for his colleague to resign in a tweet: “Matt Gaetz needs to resign.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R), has said if the “serious” allegations are true, Gaetz would be removed from his committee duties. 

“But right now, Matt Gaetz says it is not true and we don’t have any information, so let’s get all the information,” said McCarthy. 

“It comes as no surprise that my political opponents want to sensationalize and criminalize my prior sex life just as I am getting engaged to the best person I’ve ever known,” Gaetz wrote in the op-ed. “It is regrettable that the battle of ideas should thus become so personal. But then again, when your ideas suck, you need to stoop this low.”