I’m not sure if Matt Gaetz will ever be prosecuted for the federal crime for which he’s being investigated, but it’s ongoing and it certainly appears to be serious:
Justice Department investigators have reached a cooperation agreement with a man whose attorney says he witnessed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) attend parties involving “a whole lot” of sex and drug use — another potential boon to the sprawling and slow-moving sex trafficking investigation into the congressman.
Joseph Ellicott agreed to plead guilty to two federal criminal charges in a case separate from the probe of Gaetz. But Ellicott also has been talking with Justice Department investigators examining whether the congressman committed sex trafficking of a minor, according to court documents and Ellicott’s attorney, Joe Zwick. Ellicott’s plea agreement requires him to cooperate fully with the government as they explore other potential crimes.
Zwick said Ellicott was a friend of a person close to Gaetz, and because of that he attended events or heard conversations involving the congressman that are of interest to investigators. Zwick said those events were “basically like what you’d expect at a college frat party,” adding that Ellicott witnessed “sex, drugs — a whole lot of it.” But he declined to say whether Ellicott personally observed Gaetz using drugs or having or paying for sex, or committing any crimes.
“He observed a lot of behavior that, if anybody saw it, would not think that it was the behavior you would expect from a U.S. congressman,” Zwick said.
Gaetz’s office said in a statement: “After nearly a year of false rumors, not a shred of evidence has implicated Congressman Gaetz in wrongdoing. We remain focused on our work representing Floridians.”A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.
Federal prosecutors have been investigating Gaetz for possible sex trafficking for more than a year and lining up possible witnesses, although the congressman has not been charged with any crimes and has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
In May, prosecutors notably secured a guilty plea from Joel Greenberg, a friend of Gaetz and former Florida tax collector. Law enforcement officials suspect that Greenberg paid women to have sex with the congressman, according to people familiar with the matter, who have spoken on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was in exploring charges against Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, that prosecutors came across evidence potentially implicating Gaetz, the people have said.More recently, prosecutors sought testimony before a federal grand jury in Orlando from a former girlfriend of Gaetz’s, people familiar with the matter said.
Zwick said that Ellicott was a friend of Greenberg and that Greenberg hired him to work in the tax collector’s office. Because of that friendship, Zwick said, Ellicott would be invited to parties when Gaetz was in town and Greenberg was trying to impress the lawmaker.
“I would never say Joe and Gaetz were friends, but he was in the room during a lot of the conversations,” Zwick said. He declined to detail those conversations, saying he did not want to interfere with the ongoing investigation.
“He has sat down with investigators to tell what he does know about those details,” Zwick said, adding later, “he was basically a similar witness to Greenberg on a lot of the details.”
This investigation appears to be accelerating. Earlier this month, Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend was reported to have struck a deal and testified before the grand jury. So something is happening. Where it goes, who knows? But I have a feeling that Gaetz will probably successfully fundraise from the allegedly devout Christians of the MAGA right as if he is Christ himself on the cross.