Reporters baffled by DOJ’s 'remarkable' decision not to charge Gaetz in sex trafficking case

17 February 2023

Reporters are shocked by the Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to absolve Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) of sex trafficking charges after a nearly three-year-long investigation, Salon reports.

Per Politico, the DOJ began its investigation in November of 2020 after Gaetz was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl. More specifically, the agency was assigned to determine whether the congressman "paid her for it."

Salon reports:

The Justice Department initially relied on the testimony of Gaetz's friend Joel Greenberg, a local Florida tax official who was charged with corruption but agreed to be a cooperating witness in the case.

As the investigation continued, federal officials found evidence that Gaetz regularly sought out young women for sex, which made their final decision not to press charges frustrating for Greenberg and his lawyer, Fritz Scheller.

According to Salon, Scheller was not surprised.

He said, "While the decision is troubling, it's not surprising. After so many years of defense practice, I've slowly come to the realization that our country has a two-tier system of justice. To be fair, why expend resources prosecuting the privileged, when there's undoubtedly a minority out there with a small amount of pot?"

However, unlike Scheller, reporters were shocked.

The DOJ's decision not to charge Gaetz is particularly startling to reporters at The Daily Beast, considering the publication reported alarming evidence against the congressman, "including sources who were familiar with the operation describing how Greenberg was a 'fixer' for Gaetz," according to Salon.

After Gaetz's lawyer, Isabelle Kirshner, said in a statement the DOJ chose "not to bring any charges" against the congressman, several reporters took their reactions to Twitter.

Daily Beast politics reporter Roger Sollenberger tweeted what he knew about the the case and why he believes the DOJ's decision is so shocking.

"We revealed a whole lot of evidence against Gaetz including Venmos & a pardon letter Greenberg wrote to Donald Trump directly implicating Gaetz," he tweeted. "DOJ also seized his phone in its obstruction probe, but declined to bring charges, reportedly citing possibly problematic witnesses."

Sollenberger added, "Given what we've seen, the decision not to charge Gaetz seems pretty fucking remarkable. Last month, The New York Times reported that the then 17-year-old at the center of the case—perhaps the most crucial witness against him—“has said she does not believe she was a victim."

Washington Post reporter Matt Fuller tweeted about his struggling to understand the DOJ's choice.

"I’ve seen just a fraction of the evidence that the DOJ has seen," he wrote. "Truly difficult to comprehend this decision."

The Daily Beast's Jose Pagliery, a political investigations reporter, tweeted his discontentment with the DOJ, saying "Feds had a confession letter. Private Venmos. Uber receipts. Flight records. Yet they still won't prosecute Congressman Matt Gaetz. This is all the more stunning, because @SollenbergerRC & I were the ones who exposed the evidence for @thedailybeast."

The Salon's full report is available at this link. Politico's is here.

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