The chief witness in the Justice Department’s inquiry into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is cooperating with the House Ethics Committee as the panel investigates whether the Florida Republican had sexual relations with an underage girl while serving in Congress.
Joel Greenberg “has cooperated and is cooperating” in any congressional request, his lawyer Fritz Scheller told the Washington Examiner in a statement on Friday. Scheller did not disclose whether Greenberg had submitted materials supporting the sex allegations against Gaetz, but he noted “that documents provided to Congress support statements Mr. Greenberg has made in the past.”
“I have not made a statement and will not make a statement on the substance of the Congressional inquiry or its targets,” Scheller said.
Greenberg is a former friend and political ally of Gaetz who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of sex trafficking in May 2021. Greenberg was used as a key witness in the Justice Department’s previous investigation into Gaetz and whether he also engaged in sex trafficking.
The DOJ closed that investigation early last year, according to Gaetz’s office, after concluding that it had not found enough evidence to charge the congressman with any crimes. However, the House Ethics Committee reportedly has opened its own investigation into the matter since then.
Gaetz has long denied the allegations made against him and decried reports of new documents being shared by Greenberg.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“The DOJ received the same material, deemed it unreliable, and declined to press charges,” a spokesperson for Gaetz told the Washington Examiner. “The press should not be laundering smears from people in prison.”
It is not entirely clear what documents were provided to the Ethics Committee or whether they will be useful to their monthslong inquiry. A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment.
