Controversies and Legal Quagmires in Florida Politics

Your Guide to the Matt Gaetz Scandal

State of Play:

Ethics report is unreleased as of now, a hacker has apparently obtained parts of the Department of Justice investigation that did not end in prosecution of Gaetz

The iron law of political scandals, as written on the wall of a DC backroom (wash your hands after inspecting): if the public already knows about your dirty deeds and hasn’t totally written you off, keep chugging. But every new bit of information that comes out is an exponential risk.

The Gaetz story has been publicly aired for years. So it is really only a liability if new information comes to light.

So what is already known? That way we know if something new comes along.

Well, it comes down to two main questions.

* Are Sugar Babies w****s?

* Is it illegal to sleep with a minor who misrepresents their age? Can the sex be proven beyond a reasonable doubt?

Let’s start with question number one.

Are Sugar Babies w****s?

Which for the pure of heart will begin with a subquestion, what is a Sugar Baby?

A sugar baby is typically a younger individual who enters into a relationship with an older, affluent partner—known as a sugar daddy or sugar mommy—in exchange for financial support, gifts, or other benefits. These relationships are often characterized by mutual agreements where the sugar baby provides companionship, and in some cases, intimacy, while receiving monetary assistance, luxury items, or experiences in return.

These connections, like much of our modern world, is facilitated by the internet. For example…

Seeking.com is an online dating platform that connects successful and attractive individuals seeking mutually beneficial relationships.

And so it was on Seeking.com that Joel Greenberg, a then-friend of Gaetz who eventually pled guilty to sex trafficking and informed on the congressman, met women to form such relationships. Here is an ABC report of a back and forth between one of the women…

"I have a friend flying in and we are trying to make plans for tonight. What are your plans for later," Greenberg wrote to the woman, whose identity ABC News is withholding for privacy purposes. "And how much of an allowance will you be requiring :)" Greenberg added.

The woman responded by telling Greenberg she has "a friend who introduced me to the website that I could bring" and said she "usually" requires "$400 per meet."

Greenberg then sent the woman a photo of Gaetz taking a selfie with students at Pea Ridge Elementary from a 2017 visit, and wrote, "My friend," indicating that Gaetz would be the friend joining him.

"Oooh my friend thinks he's really cute!" the woman responded.

Greenberg then replied that Gaetz was "down here only for the day," adding "we work hard and play hard," before asking, "Have you ever tried molly," referring to the drug MDMA, or Ecstasy.

As Greenberg was discussing payment for the get-together, the woman asked if Gaetz used the same website Greenberg had used to meet her. Greenberg replied, in part, "He knows the deal :)," referring to the Florida congressman. The former tax collector then said he would book a "suite Downtown" for the gathering.

Sugar Baby websites are built on the idea that wealthy people connect with attractive people. The implication of money or expensive gifts being exchanged is inherent to the concept. But… are the women legally w****s? Specifically, women who are charging money for the act of sex?

This is a very important question. Flying a friend you eventually have sex with across state lines on your dime is a nice thing to do. Flying a w***e across state lines to pay for intercourse is sex trafficking.

We do not have an answer for this. Although Greenberg plead guilty to sex trafficking so he seemingly admitted it.

In general it is a moral and legal question that I am sure many rich men, including possibly some in congress, likely don’t want answered.

However, it gets even more serious when one of those women is 17 years old. Which leads us to our second question.

Is it illegal to sleep with a minor who misrepresents their age? Can the sex be proven beyond a reasonable doubt?

A lawyer for two women interviewed by the House Ethics Committee has said the following:

Leppard told POLITICO on Sunday that his clients had attended between five to 10 "sex parties" with the former Florida Representative between 2017 and 2018. Gaetz was already in Congress at the time.

Leppard also said one of his clients witnessed Gaetz having sex with another woman who was then 17 years old. They were at a house party in Florida.

"She testified [that] in July of 2017, at this house party, she was walking out to the pool area, and she looked to her right, and she saw Rep. Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17," Leppard said.

A report from The Daily Beast identified two Venmo transactions Gaetz had in 2018 with Joe Greenberg, an accused sex trafficker, for a total of $900. Greenberg then sent the money to three teen girls in transactions labeled "tuition" and "school."

The woman, now in her 20s, reportedly confirmed this during interviews with the House Ethics committee.

In Florida, engaging in sexual activity with a minor is illegal, regardless of whether the minor misrepresents their age. The state enforces strict liability in such cases, meaning that a defendant's belief about the minor's age, even if based on the minor's false representation, is not a valid defense. Florida Statute 794.021 explicitly states that ignorance or a reasonable mistake regarding the victim's age is not a defense to prosecution under sexual offense laws.

And yet… the woman in question also testified about this to criminal investigators and no charges were filed against Gaetz. This might suggest that the case against him is less than air tight. Or that proof beyond personal testimony would not stand up at trial.

So no… you cannot claim ignorance on having sex with a 17-year-old in Florida. But also, there might not be evidence to prove it happened beyond a he said/she said.

Again: this has all been known for years after Greenberg’s arrest and the Department of Justice investigation.

Will there be new information? We have to wait and see.

But it also might not matter, because Gaetz’ higher hurdle to clear has nothing to do with what he did or didn’t do as a military-grade horny Florida Man bachelor… but rather his conduct as a rhetorical bomb thrower who has personally torched members of the Senate whose vote he now needs to court.

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That and more on the show!

CHAPTERS

00:43 Guide to Matt Gaetz Sex Scandal

17:24 Normally Podcast (Karol Markowicz and MK Ham)

49:08 Update: Selzer, Lutnick, Trump's NY Sentencing

58:02 Gabe Fleisher

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