>>> THE VICE APPEARS TO BE >>> THE VICE APPEARS TO BE TIGHTENING AROUND FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ. TODAY THE HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE OPENED AN INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BY GAETZ. THAT COULD BE THE LEAST OF HIS PROBLEMS, FRANKLY. YESTERDAY WE LEARN FD HIS CLOSE ASSOCIATE, JOEL GREENBERG, IS LIKELY PREPARING TO COOPERATE WITH AUTHORITIES. GREENBERG, WHO PREVIOUSLY PLEADED NOT GUILTY FACES 33 CHARGES, INCLUDING THE SEX TRAFFICKING OF A 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL. HE’S ALSO BEING INVESTIGATED FOR RECRUITING WOMEN ONLINE, PAYING THEM FOR SEX, INCLUDING ALLEGEDLY WITH CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ. AND HERE’S THE THING, THE PROBE IS NOT JUST LIMITED TO THAT BECAUSE INVESTIGATORS ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO WHETHER GAETZ TRAVELLED TO THE BAHAMAS WITH WOMEN PAID FOR SEX. CONGRESSMAN GAETZ HAS DENIED ALL WRONG DOG, SAYING HE NEVER PAID FOR SEX AND THAT HE DID NOT RECRUIT WOMEN ONLINE AND THAT INVESTIGATORS ARE ENGAGED THE IN A FISHING EXERCISE. HE’S REFUSED TO RESIGN. AN HOUR OR SO AGO, GAETZ SPOKE ADD CONSERVATIVE WOMEN’S GARDEN PARTY WHICH WAS HELD AT TRUMP’S RESORT WHILE PEOPLE MILLED AROUND IN THE BACKGROUND. HE VOWED HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. >> THE SMEARS AGAINST ME RANGE FROM DIS, TOS OF MY PERSONAL LIFE TO WILD -- AND I MEAN WILD -- CONSPIRACY THEORIES. I WON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY A LYING MEDIA, AND I WON’T BE EXTORTED BY A FORMER DOJ OFFICIALS AND THE CROOKS HE IS WORKING WITH. THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL. >> JOINING ME NOW IS KATIE BENNER, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REPORTER FOR THE "NEW YORK TIMES." SHE WROTE A STORY ABOUT HOW JOEL GREENBERG IS EXPECTED TO PLEAD GUILTY. THAT PIECE IS FULL OF INCREDIBLE NEW DETAILS. ALSO WITH ME, MARKKA PEW CAPUTO. HE WROTE ABOUT GAETZ AND GREENBERG. MARK, LET ME START WITH YOU. I MEAN, GAETZ IS NOT SOMEONE WHO SHIES FROM THE CAMERA. IN FACT THAT SEEMS TO BE WHY HE’S IN POLITICS, QUITE FRANKLY. SO, EVEN FACING VERY, VERY SIGNIFICANT LEGAL EXPOSURE, WHICH I THINK ANY COMPETENT LAWYER WOULD ADVISE YOU TO SHUT UP ABOUT, HE’S NOT GOING TO DO THAT. WHAT WAS GOING ON TONIGHT? >> YEAH, WHAT WAS GOING ON TONIGHT WAS GAETZ BEING GAETZ. HE’S OF THE SCHOOL THAT IF HE IS QUIET, HE LOOKS GUILTY. HE HAS LAWYERS TALKING FOR HIM, HE LOOKS GUILTY. AND HE’S KIND OF AN ALWAYS ON INFLUENCE REPUBLICAN, A MAGA REPUBLICAN. AND JUST A FEW DAYS AGO HE ACCEPTED THE THIS LONG-STANDING INVITATION TO COME SPEAK, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. HE WANTED TO KIND OF PLANT HIS FLAG TO SAY I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I THINK THAT’S ALMOST A DIRECT QUOTE OF WHAT HE SAID TONIGHT. AND HE HAS HAD KIND OF A WEEK OF ATTEMPTED COUNTER PROGRAMMING KNOWING THERE’S GOING TO BE A STEADY DRIP, DRIP, DRIP OF BAD INFORMATION. AFTER ALL HE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH JOEL GREENBERG. THESE GUYS WERE ENGAGED IN ACTIVITY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FIND VERY DISTASTEFUL. AND IN THE CASE OF JOEL GREENBERG, HE’S BEEN INDICTED FOR SEX TRAFFICKING A MINOR AND OTHER OFFENSES THAT GAETZ IS NOT ACCUSED OF. SO, YOU KNOW, GAETZ IN GAETZ’S VIEW IS THAT IF HE’S QUIET HE’S GOING TO LOOK GUILTY. SO, HE’S GOING TO BE TALKING. THAT COMES ON THE HEALS OF HIM HIRING A NEW LEGAL TEAM. >> IN TERMS OF THE DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, FROM YOUR REPORTING AND OTHERS, THIS SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTIGATION NOW. AND, YOU KNOW, ANY TIME THAT THERE’S SOMEONE WHO FACES A BUNCH OF CHARGES AND THEN APPEARS LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO PLEA, THAT’S USUALLY BAD NEWS FOR THE PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. BUT THERE’S ALSO A DIFFERENT POINTS OF THIS. THERE’S JOEL GREENBERG WHO IS A COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR. THERE IS A HAND SURGEON AND MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR WHO ALSO APPEARS TO HAVE HAD SOME DEALINGS WITH MR. GAETZ AND ALSO IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. IT SEEMS LEEKIKE A FAIRLY BROAD SCOPE. >> IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT THE INVESTIGATORS ARE GOING TO PULL THE CAMERA BACK AND GO AS BROAD AS THEY CAN. THE FBI CAN GO IN LOOKING AT ONE THING AND OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR INVESTIGATION AS THEIR SUBPOENA RECORDS, OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AND EMAIL ACCOUNTS, RECORDS, PHONES, THEY CAN FIND OTHER WRONG DOING AND THE INVESTIGATION CAN SPREAD TO NEW TOPICS. AND I THINK IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS WE’RE SEEING INVESTIGATORS DO HERE. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT MR. GREENBERG IS GUILTY OF ANY OF THE THINGS HE IS CURRENTLY BEING PROBED FOR. I’M JUST SAYING THAT INVESTIGATORS WANT TO LOOK AT A WIDER ARRAY OF THINGS. WHAT BEGAN WITH INVESTIGATION INTO JOEL GREENBERG, THE TAX COLLECTOR, FOR A VARIETY OF CRIMES INCLUDING SEX TRAFFICKING OF THE 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL TURNED INTO A SEX TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION OF MR. GAETZ BECAUSE HE’S SUSPECTED OF HAVING SEX WITH THE GAME GIRL. AS INVESTIGATORS HAVE HAD MORE INTERVIEWS, ONE OF THE INTERVIEWS THEY’VE HAD WAS SOMEBODY RELAYING TO THE FBI THEY HEARD A CONVERSATION BETWEEN MATT GAETZ AND A FLORIDA LOBBYIST ABOUT POTENTIAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE IN A STATE SENATE RACE THAT DEMOCRATS THOUGHT THEY WOULD FLIP. WHAT THE MEN SPOKE ABOUT WAS WHETHER THEY COULD RUN A THIRD PARTY SHAM CANDIDATE IN ORDER TO SIPHON VOTES AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRATIC LEGAL. HE SAID HE DOES NOT RECALL THE CONVERSATION BUT JUST TALKING AABOUT IT WOULD NOT BE LEGAL. THE FBI IS VERY INTERESTED IN THAT CONVERSATION BECAUSE THEY’RE BROADENING THE LENS. THEY’RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING. IF THEY FEEL LIKE THERE’S REASONS TO CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE ELECTION FRAUD, THEY WILL PROCEED. >> MARK, CAN WE TALK ABOUT MR. PAIR ZOE LA, WHO IS THE HAND SURGEON MARIJUANA ENTREPRENEUR, SITS ON THE BOARD, I BELIEVE, OF THE ORLANDO AIRPORT. YOU’RE LAUGHING BECAUSE IT’S THE MOST INCREDIBLE FLORIDA BIO OF ALL TIME. THAT IS HIM THERE GREETING -- >> IT’S GETTING WEIRDER. IT KEEPS GETTING WEIRDER. >> YEAH. THAT’S HIM GREETING DONALD TRUMP WITH THE GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS WHEN HE CAME. AND HE’S THE ONE WHO -- AGAIN, THERE IS REPORTING INVESTIGATING TRIPS TO THE BAHAMAS AND POSSIBILITY OF PAYMENT FOR SEX ON THOSE TRIPS AND MATT GAETZ GOING ALONG. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY CONNECTED GUY MORE BROADLY IN FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CIRCLES IF HE’S SHOWING UP AT THE AIRPORT WHEN THE PRESIDENT COMES TO TOWN. >> SURE. MATT GAETZ AT ONE POINT WAS SAYING MAYBE HE WOULD MAKE A GOOD SURGEON GENERAL FOR FLORIDA. THE DOCTOR LOVED COMING TO TALLAHASSEE. THERE’S A CEREMONIAL THING AFTER A SESSION WHICH IS KIND OF DOCTOR OF THE DAY. NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE A LAWMAKER, YOU HAVE A DOCTOR OF YOUR DISTRICT, THEY COME UP FOR A DAY. HE’S DONE IT LIKE 27 TIMES, TWO DOZEN TIMES. SO, HE’S BEEN VERY KIND OF ACTIVE IN COMING TO TALLAHASSEE, VERY INTERESTED IN THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGISLATION THAT GAETZ, WHEN HE WAS A STATE LEGISLATOR HELPED PASS. HE’S ONE OF THE CAST OF CHARACTERS WHO WAS ON THAT BAHAMAS TRIP YOU MENTIONED, PROBABLY THREE PLANES TOTAL. THERE WAS HIM, HIS GIRLFRIEND, SOME OTHER WOMEN WHICH SOME PEOPLE SAY ARE ESCORTS, INCLUDING THE ONCE-17-YEAR-OLD AT THE HEART OF THE SEX WITH A MINOR CASE WHO HAS THEN TURNED 18. THERE WAS ALSO A NOW-FORMER STATE DIVISION OF BUSINESS OF REGULATION CHIEF WHO ALSO FLEW HIS PRIVATE PLANE THERE. AND THEN THERE’S MATT GAETZ WHO FLEW COMMERCIAL. SO, THEY ALL KIND OF GATHERED THERE IN THE BAHAMAS FOR QUITE A TIME. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THAT TIME WAS ILLEGAL OR NOT. THERE ARE GOING TO BE INTERESTING ASPECTS OF THE CASE IN THAT IT IS ILLEGAL TO PAY SOMEONE TO HAVE SEX AND GO ACROSS STATE LINES. THE QUESTION IS, SINCE SOME OF THESE WOMEN HAD LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE MEN, WERE THEY BEING PAID DIRECTLY FOR SEX OR WAS IT A SECRET ARRANGEMENT SORT OF DEAL? >> YES, RIGHT? AND MATT GAETZ SOMEWHAT FAMOUSLY SAID EARLY IN THIS THAT THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO PAINT HIS GENEROSITY TOWARDS EX-GIRLFRIENDS AS SOMETHING MORE UNTOWARD. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A POLITICALLY SENSITIVE CASE. WE KNOW IT WAS GREEN LIT UNDER BILL BARR, THE LAST ADMINISTRATION. WHERE IS THIS BEING RUN OUT OF? I IMAGINE IF YOU’RE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR ANYONE ELSE YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS IS ALL VERY BY THE BOOK AND VERY SEGMENTED FROM ANY POSSIBLE POLITICS OR POLITICAL INTERFERENCE. >> ABSOLUTELY. SO, TO YOUR POINT, ATTORNEY GENERAL BARR, HE DID HAVE TO GREEN LIGHT THIS. LAST YEAR HE SENT A MEMO TO ALL FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAYING IF YOU’RE LOOKING INTO MY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, PEOPLE RUNNING FOR OFFICE UP TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, HE NEEDED TO BASICALLY SIGN OFF. ALL SUPERVISORS WOULD NEED TO BE APPRISED AND THEN THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. SO, THAT WAS THE PROCESS. THE INVESTIGATION ITSELF IS BEING RUN OUT OF THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA. IT IS ACTUALLY NOT GAETZ’ DISTRICT. THAT WOULD BE THE NORTHERN
