After years of speculation and rumor, there is now sworn testimony cited in public court filings alleging that Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla) attended a party connected to an alleged underage sex scandal.
Gaetz attended a drug and sex party in 2017 with a 17-year-old girl who is also at the center of the alleged sex trafficking scandal, according to legal documents reported by journalist Jose Pagliery at NOTUS , who wrote that the legal documents filed shortly before midnight Thursday in Florida cite sealed affidavits with testimony from three eyewitnesses.
The girl was a junior in high school at the time when she was dropped off at a party at the Florida home of Chris Dorworth, a lobbyist and friend of Gaetzâs.
One eyewitness provided a sworn affidavit that the minor girl was naked, “partygoers were there to ‘engage in sexual activities,’ and ‘alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy ⦠and marijuana’ were present. The teenage girl was identified in the filings only as A.B.”
“Gaetzâs own ex-girlfriend â who was present at the party â provided testimony that lawyers say rebuts Dorworthâs claims that he was not there. NOTUS independently verified that Gaetz and one of the women who testified were previously involved in a relationship; she is only identified in the court filing by her initials, B.G.”
In 2021, Gaetz was on Tucker Carlsonâs Fox News show claiming, âThe person doesnât exist. I have not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false. The allegation is, as I read in the New York Times is, I have traveled with some 17-year-old in some relationship. That is false and records will bear that out to be false.”
The Department of Justice spent months investigating allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, but Gaetz’ lawyers told the media in 2023 that the DOJ ultimately declined to file criminal charges. Gaetz has denied all allegations related to sex trafficking and engaging in sex with a minor.
There’s obviously a lot going on with a party that is led by a man found liable for sexual assault by a jury of his peers, and littered with men who have been accused of all kinds of sexual misconduct and assault and/or enabling sexual abuse with no political repercussions from their base.
Sexual misconduct is non-partisan; holding people accountable for it is partisan.
One psychological theory to keep in mind is that people who feel out of control often seek to control others. So when a politician spends a lot of time focused on drag queens and whether women have had a baby or not while being completely uninterested in rooting out actual sexual misconduct they have some control over in their own party, it can merit asking why.
We can all be certain that Republicans, some of whom obsess about “pedophile” Q-related conspiracies, will ignore this like they have ignored other allegations and Donald Trump being found liable for sexual assault.
While Gaetz might be innocent, the issue of sex trafficking is only a political cudgel to the Republican Party; they have shown little interest in protecting victims and holding the guilty accountable, unless doing so scores a political point for them.
And that is a tragedy for all who think that Republicans’ constant rhetoric about the border means they care.
To comment on this story, join us on Reddit.
Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award winning video producer and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Connect with Sarah on Post, Mastodon @[email protected], & Twitter.
