Long before bombshell allegations of federal sex trafficking rocked the political world this week, Rep. Matt Gaetz's rumored sexual conduct was already a source of controversy.
When Gaetz was a young state lawmaker in the Florida House of Representatives, he allegedly participated in a competition with fellow male lawmakers to earn points for their sexual conquests, the Business Insider reported Friday.
Having sex with married lawmakers and spending the night in a college sorority house earned the lawmakers extra points. And the ultimate prize was sleeping with one particular conservative woman, they dubbed the "snitch," in a nod to the "Harry Potter" game of Quidditch, a Republican who worked with Gaetz in the 2010s revealed in an interview with the Insider.
The game was the "worst kept secret in Tallahassee," the GOP insider said.
The sex competition in Tallahassee has been alleged before by Chris Latvala, a Republican state representative. During a 2020 Twitter feud with his former colleague, Latvala said Gaetz "created a game where members of the FL House got 'points' for sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators."
Gaetz replied to Latvala at the time, "just because I own you on twitter, don’t confuse me for your daddy when it comes to abusing power for sex." That was a reference to Latvala’s father, Jack, who resigned from the Florida Senate in December 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations.
Gaetz's past has come under renewed scrutiny this week amid a steady stream of damning headlines against the 38-year-old congressman -- a top ally to former President Donald Trump who rose to national prominence as a TV-ready surrogate for the president's causes.
Since a federal sex trafficking probe involving Gaetz was made public this week, more reports have surfaced about the conservative firebrand's conduct around women.
In Congress, Gaetz would brag about his sexual escapades to his colleagues on the House floor and allegedly showed fellow lawmakers nude photos and videos of women he had slept with, CNN reported Thursday. One video Gaetz revealed to colleagues allegedly showed a naked woman with a hula hoop.
In Tallahassee, where Gaetz served from 2010 to 2016, some women allegedly referred to the young lawmaker as "Creepy Gaetz" because they were made uncomfortable by him, ABC News reported.
Years ago, the Miami Herald first reported on the scoring system that young male lawmakers had used to rank women, but didn't name the lawmakers involved. There were special points given out in sexual conquests for "virgins," a source told ABC News.
Gaetz was often seen trying to pick up young women at 101 Restaurant in Tallahassee, where students from nearby Florida State University would frequent, ABC News reported.
These past tales have emerged in recent days as Gaetz is faced with a federal criminal investigation that apparently started during the Trump Administration under former Attorney General William Barr. Despite the barrage of bad press -- even losing his communications director on Friday -- Gaetz has remained defiant.
"I'm not resigning," Gaetz told the Washington Examiner on Friday.
Gaetz has suggested an ex-Justice Department official leaked the criminal investigation to the New York Times because Gaetz and his family would not participate in a $25 million extortion plot.
"It is a horrible allegation and it is a lie. The New York Times is running a story that I have traveled with a 17-year-old woman and that is verifiably false. People can look at my travel records and see that that is not the case. What is happening is an extortion of me and my family," Gaetz told Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tuesday night.
