AOC alludes to Matt Gaetz sex trafficking probe during House Oversight hearing
During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, July 19, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) went after a favorite target of MAGA Republicans — President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden — and displayed what seemed to be nude photos of him. The far-right MAGA conspiracy theorist claimed that women in the photos were sex workers.
In response, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) seemed to take a shot at one of Greene's MAGA allies: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida.
AOC told Oversight Committee members, "If the gentlelady from Georgia wanted to follow evidence, we should also take a look at, hypothetically, a case where sex trafficking charges against a 17-year-old girl, potentially…."
READ MORE: 'Truly off the wall': Journalists debunk Hunter Biden conspiracy theories
Ocasio-Cortez didn't continue, however, as her time to speak expired.
The Queens/Bronx congresswoman appeared to be referring to a sex trafficking case involving Gaetz and his Florida-based one-time colleague Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector. Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison in that case and, according to the New York Times, alleged that he saw Gaetz have sex with a 17-year-old girl — an allegation that Gaetz vehemently denied.
Prosecutors, however, dropped their investigation of Gaetz, who was never charged with anything.
HuffPost reporter Josephine Harvey notes, "Wednesday's committee hearing included testimony from two IRS whistleblowers who claimed the Justice Department hamstrung their investigation into tax crimes by President Joe Biden's son and pursued lesser charges than they had recommended. Greene did not focus her questioning on those allegations, instead showing what appeared to be images of Hunter Biden making sex tapes."
READ MORE: Hunter Biden's plea deal launches Nancy Mace on conspiracy theory rant
