These text messages led the Feds to Matt Gaetz

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.thedailybeast.com/these-text-messages-led-the-feds-to-matt-gaetz

In late January 2020, U.S. Secret Service agents received information that Rep. Matt Gaetz had accompanied a Florida county tax official they were already investigating on an unusual nighttime visit to a government office—where the local official was allegedly making fake IDs, a source close to the investigation told The Daily Beast.

That tip to the feds came in a text message conversation that Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg had with an employee explaining why they were both in the office one weekend two years earlier, according to this person.

A timestamp visible in the text message thread indicated the conversation took place on Monday, April 16, 2018.

According to three people with direct knowledge of the incident: Greenberg visited the Lake Mary, Florida branch of his tax collection agency that weekend. Grainy surveillance footage captured Greenberg standing near a manager’s desk with another man. Greenberg forgot to set the alarm on the way out, which concerned the assistant branch manager when she walked into the office Monday morning. That employee was surprised to find that driver licenses—which are normally turned in when expired at the tax office for shredding—were scattered all over the desk instead of in the appropriate disposal basket. She reviewed the camera footage and alerted her boss, who in turn contacted Greenberg via text.

“Did you happen to visit the Lake Mary Office on the weekend?” the text message read.

The image obtained by The Daily Beast shows that Greenberg allegedly responded: “Yes I was showing congressman Gaetz what our operation looked like. Did I leave something on?”

*snip*

[DanieRains]

1. Rut Roh

More crimes?

Being a stupid rich Florida Republican isn't as cool as it used to be.

They were probably making fake id's so they could take underage girls to bars.

My guess.

[Baitball Blogger]

5. In all fairness, this happened in Seminole County.

A conservative white man's paradise. They probably didn't expect anyone to question them.

[Jirel]

2. Oh, do please admit your guilt via text!

These guys are real winners.

[GusBob]

3. This woman, Anna Eskamani

I'd bet these creeps were trying to play that "points for sex" game about her

[tanyev]

4. Might not have been noticed if he'd put all the expired licenses back in the disposal basket.

Corrupt AND stupid.

[Cha]

8. Ikr.. how messy.. And remembered to

reset the alarm?

[gratuitous]

6. Great job, Secret Service

You had this information in January 2020, a year when Matt Gaetz was campaigning for re-election, and not a breath of this leaked out to the public for 14 months. It would be so inconvenient for Matt to have to answer pointed questions about what he was doing in the Lake Mary office that night.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Lock him up!!!!!