The ex-girlfriend of Assemblyman Matt Gaetz has been served a subpoena to appear before the House of Representatives Ethics Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into the Republican.
She will testify before the committee via a Zoom call at the end of this month, according to a letter to her attorney.
The unidentified woman was previously approached by the committee for an interview and told them she would “plead the fifth,” a source said. ABC news.
Her lawyer, Tim Jansen, told the newspaper: ‘Of course we will comply with the summons and appear before the committee.
“However, we have informed the Staff that my client will be invoking her Fifth Amendment right before the committee.”
The committee is demanding that Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend appear before them via a Zoom call on February 29
U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and his wife Ginger attend the congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 19, 2023
Sources also told ABC that investigators want to talk to his ex about allegations that Gaetz paid for sex, drug abuse and possible lobbying violations.
The outlet also reported that the woman has knowledge of a 17-year-old girl who was at the center of a sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz.
The Justice Department closed its investigation into the claims and decided not to charge Gaetz.
The ex was also one of the women who reportedly traveled to the Bahamas in 2018 with Gaetz and others, including the minor, sources said.
It comes after a woman claimed she had sex with Gaetz during a “drug-fueled” orgy she was paid to attend, after texts emerged suggesting Gaetz had asked her on an excursion to the Florida Keys.
That’s what the woman’s lawyer told the woman Daily beast that she was paid to attend multiple sex parties with people in Gaetz’s circle and on one occasion had sex with the Republican representative.
“She told (investigators) that she and many girls at these parties were given all kinds of controlled substances,” the attorney said.
‘The availability of enormous amounts of alcohol and controlled substances led to the lack of control over the hormonal imperative, which inspired people to engage in intimate behavior, whether or not because they were financially rewarded.’
The shocking revelation comes after Gaetz’s spokesperson denied the congressman’s knowledge of the woman ABC news reported text messages showing that Gaetz had arranged a trip and that his partner Joel Greenberg was paying her for sex.
The ethics committee reportedly held a behind-the-scenes meeting Thursday to discuss the allegations against the Florida congressman.
The ex was also one of the women who reportedly traveled to the Bahamas in 2018 with Gaetz and others, including the minor, sources said. Gaetz is pictured here with his wife Ginger in 2021
The Ethics Commission, chaired by Republican Michael Guest, reportedly held a backdoor meeting Thursday to discuss the allegations against the Florida congressman.
According to her lawyer, the woman turned over text messages, photos and other evidence to the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee. She also testified before U.S. attorneys in response to a subpoena.
Venmo transactions reviewed by the Daily Beast show that the woman received approximately $2,500 from Gaetz’s now-imprisoned boyfriend Greenberg between March and July 2017.
Greenberg entered notes for these payments, including “travel,” “being cool,” “stuff” and the misspelled name of another Greenberg employee.
In July 2017, she asked Greenberg for $500 and entered an emoji of a policewoman in the memo line.
The same week, Gaetz, Greenberg and Donald Trump’s confidant Roger Stone were captured together in a selfie in Miami, which they shared on social media.
The House Ethics Committee first opened an investigation into Gaetz in April 2021, but paused it during the DOJ investigation into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sex trafficking, which concluded last February when it decided not to charge him .
In the spring of 2021, Gaetz’s associate, who had also attended those parties, reportedly met with the woman to determine whether she had disclosed information and details about the gatherings to others.
The lawyer said his client felt intimidated and that the only purpose of the conversation was to keep her mouth shut.
“This employee asked her over and over again what she had said and demanded that she tell them,” the attorney said.
His client’s decision to come forward was “a difficult and emotionally taxing experience,” the lawyer said.
In July 2021, Gaetz, Greenberg and Roger Stone were captured together in a selfie in Miami, which they shared on social media
Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in May 2021 for sex trafficking of a minor and stalking a political opponent in a plea deal with prosecutors.
“The fact that nothing came of it has somewhat surprised her, who along with everyone else had been the focus of such an intense investigation,” the woman’s lawyer said.
“The fact that they have gone through all that and that the target of the investigation only gets a wink and a nod has led to a loss of confidence in the system for some of them.”
The Daily Beast reported that it obtained text messages, transaction history and photos, including a selfie of the woman posing with Gaetz.
Some of the texts and images obtained matched the documents ABC News described in their reporting on the matter, the outlet reported.
Earlier this week, it was also revealed that texts show Gaetz asking the woman to fly on a private plane and join him, another woman and three other men in the Keys.
“Hey, any interest in flying to the keys on a private plane from May 19 to 21?” the congressman reportedly wrote.
Gaetz told the woman, described by ABC News as “over 21,” that the trip would include “two boys and four girls.” An adventurous group of very high quality.’
“Yes, I’m in,” the woman replied.
Gaetz then reportedly wrote back: “Fantastic. As is the case with all the time you spend with me, it will be fun and chill (…) Do you have a passport?’
Both ABC and the Daily Beast report that the woman ultimately never made the Florida Keys trip.
Greenberg reportedly told investigators that he paid the woman to have sex with other men on their behalf.
Gaetz’s office denied that the congressman ever knew Greenberg had paid the woman for sex.
Bank and Venmo records show payments from Greenberg to the woman who sources say would have sex at parties with Greenberg’s friends.
‘Representative. Gaetz has no knowledge of these activities of Mr. Greenberg and was not involved in them.
‘Representative. Gaetz has never paid for sex. Rep. Gaetz knows nothing about the woman you’re referring to, even though he takes thousands of selfies every year.”
Gaetz’s office denied that the congressman ever knew Greenberg had paid the woman for sex
Gaetz, who is married to Ginger Luckey, says the allegations are a gross mischaracterization of his single days
Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in May 2021 for sex trafficking of a minor and stalking a political opponent in a plea deal with prosecutors.
He was a key witness in the Justice Department’s investigation into allegations that Gaetz also trafficked the same minor.
Greenberg is said to have written a letter to Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s confidant, in an attempt to obtain a pardon from the then president.
The messages, allegedly sent between Stone and Greenberg, show that the disgraced tax collector was willing to pay $250,000 in bitcoin to Trump’s old friend, a convicted felon, to secure the pardon.
One message – reportedly from Stone – indicates that Gaetz had privately turned on Greenberg and advised Stone not to obtain a pardon for Greenberg.
According to a 2021 New York Times report, investigators believed that Gaetz and Greenberg instructed women they met online to meet at certain times and places, often in Florida hotels, and would tell them how much money they were willing to pay. ‘
Gaetz, who has been married to Ginger Luckey since 2021, says the allegations are a gross mischaracterization of his single days. And the investigation ended without any charges against him.
When asked about the latest development, Gaetz told ABC, “The Ethics Commission is retaliating against me for ousting the person who uniquely appointed every Republican: Kevin McCarthy.
“I see through this sham and the American people will too. Exposing witch hunts is my thing here.’