Gaetz friend Joel Greenberg apparently confessed in writing that both men had sex with 'underage' girl
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are going on tour in May to "attack Democrats and Republicans they deem insufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump," Politico reports. "The idea is to send a message from the two controversial Republicans: They're not canceled, they're not going to be quiet, and the infamy their critics attribute to them is translatable as fame and power in the conservative movement."
Meanwhile, the hits keep coming in the FBI's investigation into Gaetz's alleged violations of federal sex trafficking laws. The progenitor of the investigation, former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, confessed in writing that both he and Gaetz paid for sex with women and had sex with a 17-year-old girl, The Daily Beast reported Thursday night, citing multiple versions of a confession note and screenshots of encrypted text messages with Trump ally Roger Stone.
Greenberg, arrested in August and subsequently charged with 33 counts of criminal violations, contacted Stone in December to see if he could obtain a pardon from Trump, The Daily Beast reports. Stone finally informed Greenberg that the effort had failed, in part because Gaetz "told me not to help you which I tried to do anyway."
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.
"On more than one occasion," the 17-year-old girl at the center of the case "was involved in sexual activities with several of the other girls, the congressman from Florida's 1st Congressional District, and myself," Greenberg reportedly acknowledged in a letter Stone requested as part of the pardon effort. "From time to time, gas money or gifts, rent, or partial tuition payments were made to several of these girls, including the individual who was not yet 18," on behalf of Gaetz.
Greenberg wrote that he and Gaetz believed the girl was 19 when they first had sex with her, and when they found out she was underage, "there was no further contact with this individual until after her 18th birthday."
Greenberg texted Stone on Dec. 21 that the feds were pressuring him to flip on Gaetz, he had fired his lawyers for backing the idea, and those lawyers know Gaetz "paid me to pay the girls and that he and I both had sex with the girl who was underage," The Daily Beast reports. Gaetz asserted through a PR firm that he "has never paid for sex nor has he had sex with a 17 year old as an adult." Read more at The Daily Beast.
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.
-
‘Capitalism: A Global History’ by Sven Beckert and ‘American Canto’ by Olivia NuzziFeature A consummate history of capitalism and a memoir from the journalist who fell in love with RFK Jr.
-
Who will the new limits on student loans affect?The Explainer The Trump administration is imposing new limits for federal student loans starting on July 1, 2026
-
Why does Susie Wiles have MAGA-land in a panic?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Trump’s all-powerful gatekeeper is at the center of a MAGA firestorm that could shift the trajectory of the administration
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
