A second top aide to Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has resigned amid the growing scandals of alleged child sex trafficking and a sexual relationship with a 17-year old.
Gaetz legislative aide Devin Murphy resigned last week on Friday, The New York Times reports. The Florida Republican hid the news which just broke for nearly a week.
Murphy, a highly-controversial staffer who was the subject of disturbing news reports in 2017, “told associates that he was interested in writing bills, not working at TMZ,” the Times reports, “equating the work that Mr. Gaetz’s aides were now handling to the tabloid publication, according to one of the people, who all asked not to be identified discussing a sensitive personnel matter.”
Last week Gaetz’s communications director, Luke Ball, resigned, he allegedly claimed, “out of principle.” But Ball’s principles apparently include supporting an anti-LGBTQ hate group, and he is the founder of RightLife Media, a right wing PR agency.
Murphy has his own disturbing history.
“A GOP Staffer Crowdsourced an Anti-Clinton Resolution From Reddit,” is the title of a 2017 article at WIRED. “An amendment that targets Hillary Clinton and James Comey has its roots in r/The_Donald, a notoriously conspiracy-minded subreddit.”
The resolution, sponsored by Gaetz, called “for an investigation into alleged misconduct on the parts of Hillary Clinton and James Comey.”
It was drafted by Murphy, which Gaetz himself confirmed, WIRED reported.
A congressional aide explained to WIRED why the resolution was so problematic.
“If the purpose of oversight investigations is to get to the truth,” the staffer said, “then using baseless conspiracies as your starting point is completely counterproductive to a direct investigation.”