Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) received a subpoena to give a deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed by a friend who claims he was harmed by a Department of Justice investigation into allegations that Gaetz had sex with a minor.
Gaetz is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant in the lawsuit filed by former Florida state lawmaker Chris Dorworth, but he could be asked questions under oath about the alleged sexual relationship with the unidentified woman.
“Congressman Gaetz received a witness subpoena in an ongoing lawsuit between outside parties,” a spokesman for Gaetz told NBC News. “He is not being sued, and he is neither a plaintiff nor a defendant at this time.”
Gaetz has denied the allegations and was cleared of any wrongdoing by the DOJ in 2020. Dorworth has also denied all allegations.
The lawsuit, filed in April, lists former Gaetz ally Joel Greenberg as a defendant, along with the unnamed woman. Dorworth claims Greenberg and the woman attempted to damage his reputation by accusing him of “engaging in sex trafficking, having sex with a minor, prostitution, and obstructing justice.”
Greenberg himself has pleaded guilty to half a dozen federal crimes related to sex trafficking and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Dorworth claimed the subpoena of Gaetz was issued by Greenberg’s party, and is a “shameless” attempt to help reduce his prison sentence. Greenberg has claimed that Gaetz and other people participated in the same sex crimes that landed him in jail.
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“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. “It is a grotesque and shameless abuse of their wealth and makes them responsible for the damages they have all conducted, in my opinion.”
It unclear whether Gaetz would comply with the subpoena.
