Rep. Matt Gaetz
McCarthy says Gaetz will not be punished unless charges filed by Matt Gaetz make a six-figure ad purchase directed at CNN amid allegations of sex trafficking MORE(R-Fla.), A former girlfriend, has expressed fears that a woman who is allegedly a victim of Florida lawmaker sex trafficking has filed a call with her, raising the possibility that a second cooperating witness is working with prosecutors in the his investigation of the matter.
The lawmaker is accused of traveling with the woman by sex when she was 17, violating sex trafficking laws.
Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend raised the concern with two of her friends, who then passed them on to Politico. He told his associates of the alleged victim and another person recorded a call in which they argued Gaetz, apparently in an attempt to indict the Florida lawmaker.
The three participants in the call were all on a September 2018 trip to the Bahamas with Gaetz and two other Florida politicians. The trip is under investigation on suspicion that some of the women involved were engaged in prostitution.
The report comes days after it was revealed that Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector accused of the Justice Department investigation into possible sex crimes that also includes Gaetz, is cooperating with federal authorities.
Greenberg has told investigators that he and Gaetz met with several women who were given monetary payments or gifts in exchange for sex.
Gaetz has denied any crime amid a series of allegations, including claiming sex trafficking and that he has paid in exchange for sex, has taken illicit drugs that alter mood and has shown lawmakers nude photos of women with whom he has had sex.
Gaetz has faced increasing calls to resign over the charges, though he has repeatedly promised not to step down and Republicans have said they would wait to see if charges are filed before sanctioning him.