Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R) campaign in June paid $25,000 to a law firm used by Jeffrey Epstein, the campaign’s Federal Election Commission filing shows.
Gaetz’s campaign gave the money to the law office of Marc Fernich, a criminal defense attorney in Manhattan, The Washington Post and other outlets reported.
Fernich previously represented Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and refers to him as a “notable client.”
Gaetz is currently under federal investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old girl, which is statutory rape in Florida, and sex trafficking. Gaetz has denied the allegations.
Zuckerman Spaeder, a law firm in Washington, D.C., was also given $25,000 by Gaetz’s campaign for legal consulting, according to the Post.
Gaetz’s spokesperson did not respond to the Post’s questions about the attorneys but highlighted the $1.3 million the campaign raised in the second quarter.
“Our FEC filings speak for themselves,” Gaetz’s spokesman, Harlan Hill, told the outlet. “Despite an endless stream of lies from the media, Congressman Gaetz continues to be among the most prodigious fundraisers in Congress and is the only Republican who doesn’t accept donations from federal lobbyists or PACs. He thanks his tens of thousands of donors and promises to always fight for them.”
Joel Greenberg, a friend of Gaetz, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking the 17-year-old girl Gaetz is accused of having sex with.
The Hill has reached out to Gaetz’s office for comment.