The House Ethics Committee, as part of its ongoing investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s conduct, recently issued a subpoena to obtain documents related to a civil suit brought by a long-time friend of the Florida Congressman against several third parties.
The subpoena was not previously reported. It requests all documents relating to Gaetz, as part of a suit brought last year by Gaetz’s longtime friend and prominent Florida lobbyist Chris Dorworth. Dorworth claimed that he had been defamed throughout the years-long sex abuse probe into Gaetz by several third parties.
The documents in the lawsuit could give Congress new information about allegations that have plagued Gaetz for many years. This includes the allegation that he had sexual relations with a minor introduced to him by Joel Greenberg, his former friend who has pleaded guilty to trafficking in sex and is currently serving an 11-year sentence.
Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing for a long time. After a year-long investigation, the Justice Department decided not to charge Gaetz.
Gaetz announced last week that he will no longer participate in the House Ethics Probe, which he called a “political revenge exercise.” He also said that he recently learned, the committee has issued a subpoena, but it has not yet been served to him.
The Florida congressman has also denied that he had ever had sexual relations with a child. “Your letter of September 4, asks if I have ever had sexual relations with anyone under the age of 18. This question has an unambiguous NO. This answer can be applied to all versions of the question in any forum,” Gaetz said, in a social media statement to the committee.
Members of the House Ethics Committee refused to comment. Gaetz’s representatives did not reply to an inquiry for comment.
Fritz Scheller, Greenberg’s lawyer, responded when contacted for a comment. Joel Greenberg has not changed his position, even though I hesitate to comment about a congressional investigation that is still pending. He will cooperate fully with any congressional inquiry, whether it is by subpoena, or not. It doesn’t matter if the cooperation takes place in the rain, on a train, or with a dog. “Yes, Mr. Greenberg is willing to cooperate in any situation, whether it’s on a train, in the rain, with a fox, or even inside a box.”
According to court documents, among the documents related to the civil lawsuit are the depositions of Dorworth and Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend, plus the testimony of another woman who was involved in the DOJ’s investigation. These documents may be handed over to Congress in the ongoing investigation into allegations related to Gaetz.
The documents Congress seeks are a result of a lawsuit filed last year by Dorworth. Dorworth alleged in his lawsuit that Greenberg, Greenberg’s family, and the former minor “A.B.” conspired to defame Dorworth during the Justice Department probe.
Gaetz, who wasn’t a party to the suit, had been scheduled to take his deposition in the lawsuit as a plaintiff before Dorworth dropped the suit in early September. Dorworth is currently pursuing a defamation suit against the Greenbergs before a state court.
Uncertainty exists as to whether or not documents have been provided to Congress. While many of the documents in the lawsuit, such as depositions and sworn declarations, remain sealed for now, recent court filings have shed some light on the details that could be contained in the documents requested by Congress.
In Exhibit 23, a motion to recover attorneys’ fees, attorneys for the Greenbergs detail some of the allegations that were made during discovery. One allegation is that Gaetz attended a party in July 2017 with “A.B.,” a 17-year-old at the time. According to a woman at the party, “alcohol and cocaine were present as well as ecstasy, also known by the name molly and marijuana.” She also stated that “access was available to bedrooms for sexual activities” and that A.B. The filing states that A.B. was naked when he attended the party.
The House Ethics Committee issued a rare update on its investigation into Gaetz in July. The House Ethics Committee stated that they had stopped investigating certain allegations, such as whether Gaetz misused his state identification records, or accepted a corrupt bribe, or received an improper gratuity. However, the committee found that some other allegations merited further investigation.
The committee stated that it would continue its review of claims that Gaetz had “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use” and “tried to obstruct the government investigations into his conduct.”
Gaetz, in his statement to the committee last week about the probe, reiterated that he had done nothing wrong while answering a series of questions posed by the committee earlier this month.
Gaetz responded that he has never used illegal drugs. He said, “I’ve never used drugs that are illegal unless there is a law in the United States that allows use.” I have never used illicit drugs. I define these as drugs that are illegal for medical use or over the counter throughout the United States.
