THEIR TAXES LOW.
HUH?
WE’LL GET TO ALL OF THAT.
WILLIE?
>> YEAH.
BUSY MORNING.
START, THOUGH, WITH NEW
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION INTO
FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ.
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" NOW IS
REPORTING THE INQUIRY INTO GAETZ
AND FORMER SEMINOLE TAX
COLLECTOR JOEL GREENBURGH IS
FOCUSED AND SUSPECTED
INVOLVEMENT WITH MULTIPLE WOMEN
IT IS ALLEGED WERE RECRUITED
ONLINE FOR SEX AND RECEIVED CASH
PAYMENTS.
THAT’S ACCORDING TO PEOPLE CLOSE
TO THE INVESTIGATION.
TEXT MESSAGES AND PAYMENT
RECEIPTS ALL REVIEWED BY THE
"TIMES."
TLEEP
THREE PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE OF
THESE BELIEVE GREENBURGH
INDICTED LAST YEAR, PLED NOT
GUILTY TO A FEDERAL SEX
TRAFFICKING CHARGE AND OTHER
CHARGES INITIALLY MET THE WOMEN
THROUGH WEBSITES THAT CONNECT
PEOPLE TOO GO ON DATES IN
EXCHANGE FOR GIFTS, FINE DINING,
TRAVEL AND ALLOWANCES.
GREENBURGH REPORTEDLY INTRODUCED
THE WOMEN TO CONGRESSMAN GAETZ
WHO ALSO HAD SEX WITH THEM.
MESSAGES IN INTERVIEWS SHOW
DURING ENCOUNTERS IN 2020, GAETZ
AND GREENBURGH INSTRUCTED THE
WOMEN TO MEET AT CERTAIN TIMES
AND PLACES, OFTEN HOTELS AROUND
FLORIDA AND TELL THEM THE AMOUNT
OF MONEY THEY WERE WILLING TO
PAY.
NO CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST
CONGRESSMAN GAETZ, WHO’S DENIED
ANY WRONGDOING SAYING THERE IS
AN EXTORTION PLOT AGAINST HIS
FAMILY.
THE EXTENT OF HIS CRIMINAL
EXPOSURE IS UNCLEAR.
IN A STATEMENT TO THE "TIMES"
THE CONGRESSMAN’S OFFICE SAID,
MATT GAETZ HAS NEVER PAID FOR
SEX AND REFUTES ALL DISGUSTING
ALLEGATIONS COMPLETELY.
MEANWHILE, MULTIPLE SOURCES
TELLING CNN GAETZ ALLEGEDLY
SHOWED PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF NUDE
WOMEN HE HAD SLEPT WITH TO OTHER
LAWMAKERS, INCLUDING WHILE ON
THE HOUSE FLOOR.
THERE IS NO INDICATION THE
PICTURES ARE CONNECTED TO THE
DOJ INVESTIGATION.
THE "DAILY BEAST" REPORTS MORE
THAN A HALF DOZEN LAWMAKERS HAVE
SPOKEN ABOUT GAETZ CLAIMING A
LOVE OF ALCOHOL AND ILLEGAL
DRUGS AS WELL AS ALLEGING A
PROCLIVITY FOR YOUNGER WOMEN.
ONE FORMER REPUBLICAN STAFFER
SAYS THEIR OFFICE HAD AN
INFORMAL RULE TO NOT ALLOW THEIR
MEMBER TO APPEAR NEXT TO GAETZ
DURING TV HITS FEARFUL OF THE
INEVITABLE SCANDAL THAT WOULD
COME ONE DAY.
A LOT TO SIFT THROUGH THERE.
BRING IN ONE REPORTER ON THE
"NEW YORK TIMES" STORY, MICHAEL
SCHMIDT, AN MSNBC NATIONAL
SECURITY ANALYST.
ALSO WITH US, FORMER U.S.
ATTORNEY FOR THE NORTHERN
DISTRICT OF ALABAMA AND MSNBC
LEGAL ANALYST JOYCE VANCE.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU BOTH.
MIKE, START WITH YOU.
THIS IS YOUR STORY.
BRING US UP TO SPEED ON SOME OF
THESE LATEST DETAILS YOU’RE JUST
REPORTING THIS MORNING.
FLESH IT OUT AND HOW MUCH MORE
TROUBLE THIS HAS PUT MR. GAETZ
IN?
>> LOOK, WHAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY
IN OUR STORY IS CERTAINLY A
DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CONDUCT THAT WAS GOING ON.
AS PART OF OUR REPORTING WE ABLE
TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE RECEIPTS.
WE WERE ABLE TO SEE SOME OF THE
COMMUNICATIONS, THE
BACK-AND-FORTH GOING ON.
HOW THESE WOMEN WERE BEING PAID.
THEY WERE BEING PAID VERY, YOU
KNOW, THROUGH APPS ON THEIR
PHONE.
THROUGH CASH APPS.
THROUGH APPLE PAY.
THEY WERE NOT TAKING GREAT STEPS
TO HIDE THESE.
AT TIMES, GAETZ OR GREENBURGH
WOULD GO TOE AN ATM IN THE HOTEL
THAT THEY WERE IN.
THEY WOULD OFTEN MEET THESE
WOMEN IN HOTELS.
THESE ARE DETAILS THAT HELP US
FLESH OUT WHAT THE, WHAT THE
SCHEME WAS THAT WAS GOING ON
HERE THAT HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN
THIS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE REPORT
TODAY IS THAT AT LEAST ONE OF
GAETZ AND GREENBURGH’S
ASSOCIATES IN FLORIDA STATE
POLITICS, REPUBLICAN STATE
POLITICS IN FLORIDA, HAS BEEN,
YOU KNOW -- WAS LINKED TO THIS
BEHAVIOR.
WE DON’T IDENTIFY THAT
ASSOCIATE, BUT IT JUST GIVES YOU
A SENSE OF HOW WIDE AND COMMON
AND WIDESPREAD THIS CONDUCT WAS
THAT IS PART OF THIS
INVESTIGATION.
>> ALL RIGHT.
JOYCE VANCE, I’M JUST CURIOUS.
AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CONCEPT,
MICHAEL SCHMIDT JUST TALKED
ABOUT APPS BEING USED.
I READ ABOUT APPLE PAY.
I KNOW A LOT OF LAWMAKERS ARE
COMING FORWARD TALKING ABOUT HIS
BEHAVIOR ON THE HOUSE FLOOR.
SHOWING PICTURES OF WOMEN HE
CLAIMED TO HAVE SLEPT WITH.
MAYBE EVEN SOME LAWMAKERS PULLED
HIM ASIDE SAYING WE NEED YOUR
CONDUCT TO BE BETTER ON THE
HOUSE FLOOR, BUT LEGALLY, WHAT
IS HE FACING HERE ON THE CONCEPT
OF WOMEN BEING PAID THROUGH
APPS?
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT
POSSIBILITIES FOR FEDERAL
CRIMINAL EXPOSURE FOR THE
CONGRESSMAN RELATED TO THIS
SERIES OF FACTS, AND SOMETHING
THAT I’VE HEARD MIKE SAY BEFORE
THAT’S VERY TRUE IS THAT THE
REPORTING IS LIKELY JUST THE TIP
OF THE ICEBERG.
FOR THIS TO HAVE GONE THIS FAR
AND TO HAVE BECOME A FULL-BLOWN
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, THERE’S
REPORTS THE INITIAL TIP TOOK
PLACE IN JANUARY OF 2020.
SO THIS WOULD BE A YEAR-LONG
INVESTIGATION, IF THAT PANS OUT,
AND IT’S LIKELY THAT THERE IS A
GREAT DEAL MORE TO BACK THIS UP,
BUT, MIKA, YOU’RE RIGHT TO FOCUS
ON PAYMENT.
IN IS A SPECIFIC STHACHT CRIMATU
CRIMINALIZING PARTICULARLY WHEN
IT COMES TO GIRLS, USE OF THE
INTERNET OR ANY INTERSTATE MEANS
TO ENTICE, TO LURE GIRLS INTO
THIS SORT OF COMMERCIAL SEX
TRAFFICKING, BUT THERE’S A WHOLE
PANOPLY OF FEDERAL STATUTES THAT
ARE DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THIS,
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS TAKE THESE SORTS OF
CRIMES VERY SERIOUSLY.
>> MIKE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS A
LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LOOKING INTO
IT WHETHER OFFICE MONEY FROM THE
CONGRESSMAN’S OFFICE WAS USED TO
PAY FOR ANY OF THIS.
FIRST OF ALL, TWO PARTER FOR
YOU --
WAS THIS KWUCT THATCONDUCT THE D
LOOKING INTO DURING HIS TIME AS
A CONGRESSMAN, TOOK OFFICE IN
JANUARY 2017, AND SECOND, IS
THERE ANY EVIDENCE THAT
CONGRESSIONAL MONEY WAS USED TO
PAY FOR ANY OF THIS?
>> SO THE CONDUCT THAT WE WRITE
ABOUT TODAY IS, OCCURRED DURING
HIS TIME IN CONGRESS.
HE CAME TO CONGRESS IN 2017.
WAS ELECTED AS A TRUMP SUPPORTER
IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
HE’S BEEN THERE SINCE THEN AND
OBVIOUSLY BEEN A VERY VOCAL
SUPPORTER OF THE PRESIDENT.
THAT’S WHERE THE CONDUCT COMES
FROM.
JUST TO PICK UP ON WHAT JOYCE
WAS SAYING.
THE THING THAT IS ONE OF THE
BIGGEST FOCUSES OF THE LEGAL
QUESTIONS IN THIS CASE OR IN
THIS INVESTIGATION IS THE
17-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
BECAUSE THAT, THAT CRIME OF, YOU
KNOW, SOLICITING AND PAYING
SOMEONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 FOR
SEX CARRIES A MANDATORY MINIMUM
OF TEN YEARS IN PRISON.
OBVIOUSLY THAT’S A VERY, VERY
SIGNIFICANT LEGAL ISSUE AND IS,
YOU KNOW, IS -- IS A HUMONGOUS
PROBLEM FOR GAETZ.
AS WE REPORT TODAY, YOU KNOW,
THEY ARE LOOKING AT GAETZ, AS WE
REPORTED IN THE ORIGINAL
STORY -- THEY ARE LOOKING AT
GAETZ FOR HIS TIES TO THE
17-YEAR-OLD AND THEY’RE LOOKING
AT OTHERS.
WERE OTHERS CONNECTED TO THIS