Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, who has called LGBTQ+ people “degenerate,” allegedly attended a 2017 sex party where a nude 17-year-old girl was present, according to court documents filed in Florida late Thursday night — a major new bombshell in a sprawling scandal that has dogged Gaetz since 2020.
The documents, which were reviewed this week by the nonprofit journalism outlet Notus, reference sealed affidavits in a sex trafficking case that began several years ago. The sworn affidavits from multiple anonymous parties testify that Gaetz and a then-17-year-old high school student identified as A.B. both attended a party at the home of lobbyist Chris Dorworth, a friend of the congressman. Partygoers were allegedly provided with “alcohol, cocaine, [and] ecstasy” and engaged in sex; one affidavit attested that the teenager was naked.
“The discovery taken in this case to date reflects that on Saturday, July 15, 2017 […] Dorworth, hosted a party at his residence” with a guest list including Gaetz and A.B., lawyers alleged per court documents. A former partner of Gaetz, identified only by the initials B.G., provided one of the affidavits referred to in that filing.
Further details about the 2017 party are now coming to light due to a series of lawsuits naming Gaetz’s associates and implicating the Florida representative. Joel Greenberg, a Gaetz ally and former tax collector from Seminole County, pleaded guilty in 2021 to several federal charges including sex trafficking a minor and stalking, and testified that Gaetz was part of the scheme, though his confession letter was never made public. Gaetz himself was never charged as a result of Greenberg’s testimony. Last year, however, Dorworth filed lawsuits against Greenberg and A.B., claiming that they falsely accused him of trafficking. Dorworth later dropped his civil case, but lawyers are now pursuing their own claims in court to recoup attorneys’ fees — with this week’s bombshell filings a direct result of that proceeding, Notus reported.
Despite Gaetz’s frequent denials of all allegations against him, court documents claim that cell phone data shows he attended the party. A phone number identified as belonging to Gaetz sent 30 text messages to Dorworth’s phone, and called him twice the day of the party, potentially corroborating Gaetz’s ex-partner’s affidavit. In 2020, during the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency, Gaetz allegedly sought a presidential pardon for the sex crime allegations against him, while still insisting he was innocent (although Gaetz has also denied asking for a pardon).
Gaetz was first investigated by the Department of Justice in 2020, when officials received a tip that Gaetz had allegedly had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and may have hired sex workers during a trip to the Bahamas, which launched a probe into possible federal sex trafficking charges. The DOJ investigation was eventually dropped with no charges filed, but Gaetz is now the subject of a separate investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which shifted its focus in June from alleged “inappropriate messages” to “sexual misconduct and illicit drug use” and several other allegations, including obstructing investigators.
Of course, Gaetz hasn’t let a minor detail like “being investigated for statutory rape” slow him down from accusing other people of being sex criminals and perverts. As a representative, Gaetz has advocated for cutting federal funds to an LGBTQ+ center, based on misleading claims about BDSM events; pressured the Department of Defense into canceling a planned drag show on an Air Force base; and called LGBTQ+-inclusive education policies “degenerate LGBT and anti-White propaganda” to promote his unsuccessful “National Prayer in School Act” last year.
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