Matt Gaetz is also reportedly under scrutiny over alleged Florida 'ghost' candidate skulduggery


The federal investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), said to center on possible sex-trafficking violations and sex with a 17-year-old girl, has branched out to include a trip to the Bahamas with well-connected GOP allies and allegedly paid female companions plus whether Gaetz was involved in running a third-party "ghost" candidate in a state Senate race to help an associate, The New York Times reports.
Gaetz has denied paying for sex or having sex with a 17-year-old girl, but his alleged partner in procuring women for sex, Joel Greenberg, is now expected to plead guilty and potentially flip on Gaetz, Greenberg's lawyer and federal prosecutors suggested Thursday. One congressional Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Wash.), has called on Gaetz to resign, and Gaetz's legislative director, Devin Murphy, abruptly quit last week, the Times reports.
Investigators are in the early states of their inquiry into whether Gaetz worked with prominent Florida lobbyist Chris Dorworth to put a sham third-party candidate in a state Senate race to help a Gaetz associate, Jason Brodeur, beat a Democratic rival for an open seat, the Times reports. Recruiting a "ghost" candidate to swing a race against an opponent is generally legal, but secretly paying them to do so is frowned upon, legally speaking. In Brodeur's case, a third candidate did run but barely campaigned, and fliers depicted her as a Democrat, like Brodeur's opponent.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Brodeur ultimately raised more than $3 million for the race and won by 7,600 votes; the third-party candidate, Jestine Iannotti, got 6,000 votes. Brodeur told the Times through a spokeswoman he had nothing to do with the Iannotti fliers and Dorworth said he never met, communicated with, or paid Iannotti, and doesn't recall discussing running a third-party candidate with Gaetz.
"A ghost candidate scheme would be brazen even in Florida, which has been fertile ground for unseemly political ploys," the Times reports, though two little-known third-party candidates in Miami races last election did help Republicans win and keep control of the state Senate. "In one of the Miami races, which was decided by 32 votes, an accused ghost candidate and a campaign backer have been indicted on campaign finance charges."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Sudoku medium: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
White House pushes for oversight of Columbia University
Speed Read The Trump administration is considering placing the school under a consent decree
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court backs wrongly deported migrant
Speed Read The Trump administration must 'facilitate' the return of wrongfully deported migrant Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, Supreme Court says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Two judges bar war-powers deportations
Speed Read The Trump administration was blocked from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members
By Peter Weber, The Week US