Based on new information from two reporters working for The Daily Beast, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) might want to get things in order and enjoy the next few days of freedom, because it appears he’s on the verge of being charged with crimes including sex trafficking an underage girl and wire fraud.
Reporters Jose Pagliery and Roger Sollenberger were guests on the “Fever Dreams” podcast and made clear that the days ahead are likely to be very bad for Gaetz, especially since his friend and “wingman,” Joel Greenberg, is expected ink a cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors by May 15, which is the deadline he’s been given, according to Pagliery:
“We know that this is heating up, particularly again, because we’ve got a deadline on May 15 for Greenberg to become a fully cooperating witness for the government. And there’s not just that. We also hear that the feds are pressuring other people who have direct knowledge of this.
The world for Matt Gaetz in the near term looks extremely difficult because it’s not just that there’s some evidence. There’s a lot of evidence, and there are several witnesses.”
The two reporters also revealed that they’ve been able to source much of their reporting from people who had ties to Gaetz and Greenberg and are now spilling their guts on Instagram:
“These are people who are amateur Instagram models. So many of these were, like, wannabe escorts. They wanted to project a version of themselves out to the galaxy, and, you know, I got so… incredulous at one point a few weeks ago that I just decided to tweet, ‘You think you’re doing it for your brand, but you’re actually doing it for my investigation,’ because these people are just putting it out there front and center.”
All of this comes as CNN is reporting that prosecutors are indeed looking at those who have connections to Gaetz and flipping them for testimony against the Florida Republican:
“The cooperation of Greenberg and the former girlfriend could be among the final steps in the probe of Gaetz. Investigators view both as crucial to understanding the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving payments for sex. The ex-girlfriend could also be questioned by investigators about a second woman as they try to determine whether Gaetz may have slept with that woman when she was only 17.”
Gaetz, who has repeatedly denied that he did anything wrong, is facing more than just a slap on the wrist if he’s found guilty of sexually trafficking a minor. That crime alone could earn him a life sentence in federal prison.
