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Rep. Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend spotted entering Florida courthouse where grand jury is meeting

By Will Steakin, ABC News Jan 13, 2022 | 5:02 AM


Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A former girlfriend of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is potentially a key witness in the ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation into the congressman, was spotted on Wednesday with her lawyer entering an Orlando federal courthouse where a grand jury has been meeting, according to a source.

The ex-girlfriend, who ABC News is not naming, could play a crucial role for investigators who are continuing to probe Gaetz’s alleged sexual conduct with a separate young woman who was 17 years old at the time.

Gaetz’s former girlfriend allegedly has knowledge not only regarding the congressman but also the one-time minor at the center of the sex trafficking investigation, sources said.

The ex-girlfriend, who previously worked on Capitol Hill, was also one of the women who was allegedly on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas with Gaetz and others, including the 17-year-old, which prosecutors are also investigating, according to legal sources familiar with the case.

A grand jury investigating the Florida congressman has been meeting at the Orlando courthouse on Wednesdays, according to multiple sources.

The news was first reported by NBC.

A spokesperson for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Florida congressman has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.

Tim Jansen, the attorney representing Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend, declined comment about the probe.

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