Internet reacts to allegations of a drug party with minors in 2017

Social media is awash with speculation that Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Florida)’s political career may be coming to an end following new allegations in a court filing.

The affidavit states that Gaetz attended a sex party under the influence of drugs with a 17-year-old girl in 2017.

At the time, Gaetz was in his thirties, and the teenager was already at the center of a sex trafficking investigation.

Although the Justice Department had previously closed its investigation without filing charges against Gaetz, the House Ethics Committee's investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations is still ongoing.

The new affidavit and court filing, which cite three eyewitness accounts, have brought the Florida lawmaker into the spotlight again.

Joel Greenberg, a former Gaetz aide, was convicted in connection with the investigation and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Gaetz's critics have long pointed to allegations about his alleged relationship with the minor. Opponents have used the claims in political ads, and figures such as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have publicly criticized him.

The new court filings, first reported by NOTUS, have intensified the controversy.

According to the documents, a high school student was driven to the party by her mother and arrived at the house of Gaetz's friend Chris Dorworth.

Affidavits claim she was nude at the party, where guests were allegedly present to “engage in sexual activity,” with Gaetz named as one of the party guests.

The report also found that phone records show Gaetz and Dorworth texted 30 times on the day of the party, with Gaetz speaking to Dorworth on the phone twice before the event. Dorworth has claimed that Greenberg tried to frame him, initially filing a defamation suit against Greenberg, which he later dropped. The new affidavits stem from that case and have now put Gaetz back in the spotlight.

Gaetz, for his part, has repeatedly denied the allegations and previously claimed that the unnamed minor “does not exist.”

The explosive report quickly spread like wildfire on social media, with users speculating that Gaetz's political career was over.

One person tweeted: “Matt Gaetz [was at] his buddy's house for coke-fueled parties to have sex [an underage girl] and the prosecution has the cell phone records to prove it… he's done.”

Others expressed similar sentiments, commenting, “Oh, he’s done.”

Some critics, however, are cautious in their judgment. One user noted: “One might think that 'drug addict', 'sex party' and '17-year-old' are terms in a paragraph that are not conducive to a further political career.”

As the House Ethics Committee's investigation continues and more information comes to light, Gaetz's future in politics is increasingly uncertain.