The Daily Beast
The Strange Friendship That May Bring Down Matt Gaetz
Alex Wong/GettyRep. Matt Gaetz is in the midst of one of the ugliest falls from political grace in decades. But, on a smaller and less public scale, Gaetz’s plummet largely mirrors one of his closest allies—the man who may have kickstarted his downfall: Joel Greenberg.Gaetz, the Florida Republican, and Greenberg are friends. Until recently, both were wealthy players in the new Trumpist wave washing over the Florida GOP. Both were sons of successful fathers who made their names known across the state. Both hung out in the same circles, championed the same libertarian causes, and latched themselves onto the same Florida GOP icons, like Gov. Ron DeSantis and political operative Roger Stone.And now, both have been ensnared in a federal probe looking into accusations that they recruited young women and paid them for sex, according to The New York Times.These Text Messages Pointed the Feds to Matt GaetzAs The Daily Beast reported on Friday, it was text messages about Gaetz and Greenberg’s off-hours trips to a government office that alerted investigators to the congressman’s involvement in alleged crimes—and eventually led them to what they determined to be a criminal sex ring.But before Joel Greenberg was indicted for sex trafficking and directing attention to Gaetz, Greenberg was an eccentric tax collector with a political future and all the right connections.Like Gaetz, Greenberg is the son of a…
