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Leaks from the DOJ investigation into Matt Gaetz support a payoff network spanning more than three years
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Leaks from the DOJ investigation into Matt Gaetz support a payoff network spanning more than three years

A bombshell document has been leaked from the Justice Department investigation Matt Gaetz alleged that there was a web of payments between the former congressman and friends and associates who were said to have been with him at drug-fueled sex parties.

Meticulously detailed diagram obtained by New York Times, was assembled by federal investigators during the sex-trafficking investigation Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.

It is graphed like Gaetz and associates, including convicted sex trafficker Joel Greenberg, allegedly sent thousands of dollars via Venmo to dozens of people allegedly involved in sex parties between 2017 and 2020, according to testimony to federal and congressional investigators. The Times reported.

A copy of the chart was also provided to House Ethics Committeeaccording to the work.

Gaetz has vehemently denied all charges, and the Justice Department ultimately never charged him with a crime or alleged any wrongdoing.

The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation and was due to release a “very damaging” report of its findings last week before Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general and subsequent resignation by the House derailed its release.

The complex chart claims Greenberg was at the center of a string of payments. The Times redacted all individuals named in the chart except Gaetz and his former ally Greenberg, who reached a plea deal with prosecutors in May 2021 to plead guilty to six federal felonies, including child sex trafficking, after originally being charged with 33 counts. He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence.

The newspaper reported that among those who received payments from Gaetz’s associates according to the chart there was a woman who was 17 years old when he attended one of the parties. However, the chart does not specify what the payments were for, nor does it show that Gaetz made a payment to the teenager.

Gaetz faces uphill battle to be confirmed as Trump's attorney general amid serious sex allegations (AP)

Gaetz faces uphill battle to be confirmed as Trump’s attorney general amid serious sex allegations (AP)

The chart shows that investigators believe Gaetz and his allies made them for two women who testified before the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, according to their attorney Joel Leppard.

One of Leppard’s clients received $4,025.27, the chart allegedly shows, and the other received $3,500. There is a line from Gaetz to two people drafted for these amounts on the chart.

Gaetz allegedly paid the women between $200 and $500 for each date. The Times reported that the higher amounts combine multiple payments the women received from Gaetz.

The Independent has reached out to Trump’s transition team and the Justice Department for comment.

In a statement to The Times, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, claimed the Justice Department leaked the document and said it was classified. But the paper noted that the chart has no classified markings and is not related to national security.

JD Vance endorsed Gaetz on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, meeting with Republican senators to try to get them on his side (Getty Images)

JD Vance endorsed Gaetz on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, meeting with Republican senators to try to get them on his side (Getty Images)

“This intentional leak of classified investigative material is the kind of DOJ politicized weaponry that Matt Gaetz will put an end to,” Cheung said.

“The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years, failed to find a crime, and now they are leaking material with false information to defame the next attorney general.”

Other records obtained by ABC News found that Gaetz allegedly made 27 Venmo and PayPal payments with descriptive memos such as “being awesome” and “being my friend”, some of which may have been payments for sex.

In total, he paid over $10,000 to the two women who became witnesses in sexual misconduct investigationsaccording to the report.

Receipts, which were said to have been displayed during closed-door testimony in House Ethics Committee probe, reflects transactions between July 2017 and January 2019, when Gaetz was a newly elected representative.

Wednesday, The House Ethics Committee was deadlocked whether to issue the report in Gaetz.

“There was no consensus on this issue,” Democratic Rep. Susan Wild said, adding that the committee would meet again on Dec. 5.