A man who describes himself as a “close friend” of Matt Gaetz, the controversial right-wing firebrand who is Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, asked a court to expunge legal records containing details of a drug-fueled sex party with an underage girl at which Gaetz was allegedly in attendance.
The friend—Chris Dorworth, a lobbyist and former member of the Florida House who allegedly hosted the party—has filed two motions requesting that the records, which include witness statements from people at the party, not be released to the public and, further, that they be destroyed, Rolling Stone reported based on court filings.
“The public interest is not served in any way by releasing confidential information upon which the court has never relied to make any decision in this case,” Dorworth’s attorneys wrote in an Oct. 16 filing, per Rolling Stone, adding that their client “intends to request the exhibits be stricken from the judicial record entirely.”
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The decision of whether to release the records belongs to a federal court, but Gaetz, if confirmed as attorney general, would have substantial sway over the federal judiciary.
The records in question stem in part from a defamation suit Dorworth filed against Joel Greenberg, another friend of Gaetz who is now serving 11 years in prison for a sex-trafficking conviction. Dorworth had sued Greenberg for linking him to the criminal activity at the party and the underage victim, but later dropped the suit.
In 2021, the Daily Beast reported that Greenberg had confessed in a letter that Gaetz had paid him to arrange sexual encounters with women, including an underage girl.
Hours after Trump on Wednesday announced his intent to nominate Gaetz, the Florida representative resigned his position in Congress—as some noted, mere days before the House Ethics Committee was set to vote on whether to release a report with the conclusions of its probe into Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
Because the ethics committee only has jurisdiction over House members, the probe has effectively ended and the report, said to be “highly damaging” to Gaetz, will not be released.
The announcement of Gaetz’s prospective nomination as attorney general sent shockwaves around the political world, with representatives from both sides of the aisle expressing astonishment and dismay.
The allegation of Gaetz’s attendance at the sex party, which broke in September, is just one of the numerous scandals the staunch Trump backer has faced, including allegations that he showed naked photos of women he was sleeping with to aides and lawmakers on the House floor.
Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
