Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was subpoenaed Thursday to testify in a defamation lawsuit initiated by Chris Dorworth, a former Florida state lawmaker and one of Gaetz’s long-standing political associates, NBC News reported.
Dorworth is suing because of claims made after a long Justice Department investigation, according to NBC News. Gaetz was subpoenaed even though he isn’t directly suing or being sued in Dorworth’s case. This investigation looked into whether Gaetz had sexual relationships with a 17-year-old. It also involved Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector from Orlando, who is now in prison for 11 years after he pleaded guilty to many federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a minor.
EXCLUSIVE: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was subpoenaed to sit for a deposition in a civil lawsuit that involves allegations he had sex with a 17-year old-girl, sources tell @ABC News. https://t.co/q6P7UkmITH pic.twitter.com/r8SNeOoSZB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2024
After receiving the subpoena, a spokesperson for Gaetz confirmed they got it but did not share any details on whether Gaetz plans to follow it. “Congressman Gaetz received a witness subpoena in an ongoing lawsuit between outside parties,” the spokesman said, the outlet stated. “He is not being sued, and he is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant at this time.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Gaetz Demands Answers From ICE After Refusal To Provide Info On Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Killing Constituent)
The Justice Department chose not to file charges against Gaetz in 2023. Their investigation included checking if minors were allegedly paid to travel to the Bahamas for sex, which would be against federal law, the outlet stated. Dorworth believes he has been unfairly accused because of Greenberg’s statements. This resulted to him suing Greenberg and others.
“The federal government investigated their lies fully and came back with no charges. Greenberg’s lawyers have publicly clamored for more people to be charged to reduce his prison sentence,” Dorworth said, NBC News reported. “It is a grotesque and shameless abuse of their wealth and makes them responsible for the damages they have all conducted, in my opinion.”