Florida Super PAC Savages Matt Gaetz Over Friendship With ‘Convicted Sex Trafficker’ In New Ad

A new ad targetting Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) ahead of Florida’s primaries is seeking to link the controversial congressman with a scandal he had certainly hoped was behind him.

The ad run by Florida Patriots PAC reminds voters of Gaetz’s “close friendship” with Joel Greenberg, his former associate who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking charges and cooperated in the federal probe into Gaetz that he too was involved in sex trafficking.

“Gaetz allegedly grooms Greenberg for higher political office, then makes payments to him. Greenberg reportedly uses a sugar daddy app to find college girls and pays for sex on Congressman Gaetz’s behalf,” the ad says.

“That’s a close friendship with the real Matt Gaetz,” concludes the blistering spot.

Gaetz remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.

Punchbowl News was the first to report on the ad and noted, “We don’t know who is behind this super PAC. But Gaetz voted against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy has used super PACs to go after other rivals, including House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.), who appears to be losing to John McGuire.”

McCarthy has been on a revenge tour, targeting the eight GOP lawmakers who voted to remove him. In April, McCarthy spoke about his ouster, led by Gaetz, and told an audience at Georgetown University:

Let me give you the truth about that. And I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker: because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old girl. Did he do it or not? I don’t know.

Punchbowl also reported that the Florida Patriots PAC is running ads to boost Gaetz’s GOP primary challenger Aaron Dimmock – a Naval aviator. Florida holds its primaries on August 20th.

Watch the ad above.