Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was subpoenaed Thursday to testify in a defamation lawsuit brought by Chris Dorworth, a former Florida congressman and one of Gaetz’s longtime political associates, NBC News reports. Ta.
Dorworth is suing over allegations made after a lengthy Justice Department investigation. according to Go to NBC News. Mr. Gaetz was subpoenaed even though he had not directly sued or been sued in Mr. Dorworth’s case. The investigation looked into whether Gates had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy. The case also involves former Orlando tax collector Joel Greenberg, who pleaded guilty to a number of federal crimes, including sex trafficking of minors, and is currently serving 11 years in prison.
Exclusive: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has been subpoenaed for a deposition in a civil case involving allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, sources say. @ABC news. https://t.co/q6P7UkmITH pic.twitter.com/r8SNeOoSZB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2024
After receiving the subpoena, a spokesperson for Mr. Gaetz confirmed that he had received it, but did not provide details on whether Mr. Gaetz intended to comply with it. “Congressman Gaetz has received a subpoena to testify in an ongoing litigation between outside parties,” the newspaper quoted a spokesperson as saying. “He has not been sued and is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant at this time.” (Related: Exclusive: Gates demands answers from ICE after refusing to provide information on illegal immigrant accused of murdering member)
The Justice Department chose not to indict Gates in 2023. The investigation includes looking into whether minors are suspected of being paid to travel to the Bahamas for sex, which would be a violation of federal law, the outlet said. Ta. Dorworth believes he was unfairly accused of Greenberg’s comments. As a result, he ended up suing Greenberg et al.
“The federal government thoroughly investigated their lies and came back with no charges. Mr. Greenberg’s lawyers are seeking more people to reduce Mr. Greenberg’s sentence. We are publicly calling for charges to be filed,” Dorworth said, NBC News reported. “In my opinion, this is a grotesque and shameless abuse of their wealth, and it holds them accountable for the damage they have done.”
