Rep. Matt Gaetz's Campaign Paid $25,000 to Lawyer Who Represented Sex Offender Jeffrey Epstein

By Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post

16 July 21

The fee, for legal consulting, was paid to Manhattan criminal defense attorney Marc Fernich

ep. Matt Gaetz�s campaign paid $25,000 in June to a Manhattan criminal defense attorney who lists Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who killed himself in prison, as a notable client, according to a filing Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

The Florida Republican and acolyte of former president Donald Trump is under investigation for possible sex trafficking of a minor. A spokesman for Gaetz did not address the payment but touted the congressman�s fundraising haul, which totaled more than $1.3 million in the second quarter of the year.

The June payment, for legal consulting, went to the law office of Marc Fernich, whose website says he specializes in �subtle, novel and creative arguments that other attorneys may miss.�

�These arguments can make potential winners out of seemingly hopeless cases, spelling the difference between victory and defeat,� the site adds.

It lists Epstein, along with Joaqu�n Archivaldo Guzm�n Loera, the Mexican kingpin known as �El Chapo,� among his �Notable Clients.� Fernich did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The campaign also paid $25,000 for legal consulting to Zuckerman Spaeder, a large D.C.-based firm that also did not immediately respond to an inquiry.

The $1.3 million raked in by Gaetz between April and June is a sizable sum for a member of Congress under investigation by the Justice Department as well as the House Ethics Committee. He spent about $1.8 million in the same period, the filing shows, and has $1.6 million on hand.

Virtually all of Gaetz�s contributions were from individual donors rather than party committees or PACs, the filing shows. He did receive a financial boost from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), whose reelection campaign supplied Gaetz with $3,000 last month.

�Our FEC filings speak for themselves,� said Gaetz�s spokesman, Harlan Hill. �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.�

Gaetz, who represents a conservative district in Florida�s Panhandle, has risen to prominence as a combative defender of Trump, often taking his case to cable TV. The Justice Department has been examining whether a former county tax collector, Joel Greenberg, procured women for Gaetz and whether the two men shared sexual partners, including a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has said he never had intercourse with a 17-year-old, which is considered statutory rape in Florida.