the way we are told from sources and the way joel greenberg's lawyer describes it, joel greenberg has potentially pivotal information that could help investigators in the matt gaetz investigation. as i mentioned they both allegedly shared this same girl for sex which would be illegal. we understand from talking to people in this world and other officials that investigators are exploring allegations joel greenberg was the guy that procured women for gaetz. greenberg has credibility issues. one of the things that first got him on the radar was fabricating evidence against another politician. he is not the person you want as a cooperator or witness because jurors, if it came to that, would not very likely believe him. but he could point investigators in the areas they may be didn't think they go or evidence they didn't know existed. his cooperation certainly ups the ante for gaetz but we will see if he pleads guilty, he is still just a negotiations, b, how much he cooperates and c, how honest he is. host: gaetz insists the claims are false but also talked about extortion issues. can you

here's joel greenberg's lawyer today. >> does matt gaetz have anything to worry about? >> does matt gaetz -- that is such a -- >> when it comes to what happened today in court. >> does he have anything to worry about? and you're asking me to get into the mind of matt gaetz, right? >> from your mind. >> from my mind. >> based on what your client said. >> based on what my client does. see, if i thought if i kept talking and talking and avoided these questions -- i'd have to say i'm sure matt gaetz isn't feeling comfortable today. >> they go back a little bit. here they are posing together in 2018. here they are with donald trump's longtime political ally, roger stone a year earlier. greatest gaetz and greenberg and another man posed in front of the house in 2018. last week "the daily beast" reported on the text messages that led the feds to matt gaetz which revealed he accompanied him on an unusual nighttime visit to the office where he was making fake i.d.s. on his way out of being in this office, he's going in this office in the middle of the night. greenberg forgot to

when joel greenberg paid them to these girls, it said school and tuition. now, we know from the indictment against joel greenberg that 33 count indictment that was just updated last week, that he's being accused of having sugar daddy relationships and using taxpayer funds to do so. and so what we're trying to figure out, of course, is the next step which is what exactly were these payments for. >> right. >> but we have so much more reporting on this that we have not broken yet that is about his circle, about joel greenberg, about his behavior and about his relationship with this congressman. >> so, this is very subjective, but to be clear, we don't know or you don't know, you're ahead of us on the reporting, you don't know exactly what the money was for and it is not clearly indicated in the venmo slips. i get the constructive suggestion of it and you're still looking into it. >> i want to make sure we're very clear about this. we were able to get these payments because through our sources we had been asking for specific things. we asked for what is the pro

but joel greenberg, why? joel greenberg has been indicted for exactly what they say. >> and that case is a bigger name. >> oh, absolutely. but they are investigating him for the same things. that means nothing legally. but they absolutely know each other and there is some strange coordination between the two of them. it doesn't have to mean anything specifically. it doesn't even have be true. joel greenberg is in bad shape. he is a desperate man, and what do desperate men do? >> they flip. >> desperate things. >> let me tell you this. for all of the people out there watching and everyone who is saying, oh, this is just something that the biden administration is doing, this started with the trump doj. >> did you hear trump come out and defend gaetz? >> yeah, i heard him. it was silent. >> sounded like you when a check comes. >> what? >> like you when the check comes. >> no, no. matt gaetz? my pizza is here? >> i got to go. we'll see you. you can use that, don. i know you're going. >> all right. i love you, don

a local republican elected official in florida named joel greenberg. mr. greenberg was arrested last year on an array of charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. he's currently in jail awaiting trial. he's pled not guilty to all charges against him. according to "the new york times," the sex trafficking count against mr. greenberg involves the same underaged girl as the gaetz investigation. mark caputo at politico.com has more reporting today that sheds light on the relationship between these two criminal investigations. caputo spoke with three sources who knew joel greenberg before he was charged with child sex trafficking. all three of them told politico that they personally heard congressman gaetz's friend joel greenberg bragging about his sexual relationship with a girl who was 17 years old at the time. at least one of those friends has reportedly testified before a grand jury as part of the joel greenberg investigation. what does this mean? we know these allegations of child sex trafficking against joel greenberg are solid enough to have served

it is clearer and clearer that it's joel greenberg who makes the initial overtures to women, and joel greenberg sending the messages that we have seen that say, please meet here at this hotel, there's $1,000 for you if you come. those are the sorts of things that joel greenberg is doing. it's his name on many of the receipts. it looks like he is the person that is responsible. whether or not he is the person in charge is the open question. because then he quickly hands everybody off to congressman gaetz where they engage in sexual relations. we are seeing the relationship emering between greenberg and gaetz. we are seeing the government put pressure on greenberg as we speak, ratcheting up the charges that he is indicted on the child sex trafficking charges. he is facing very, very severe penalties, and they are clearly trying to pressure him in order to get him to give them more information on other people that they would like more information about. possibly including congressman gaetz. >> is there any indication at this point, katie, that mr. greenberg is cooperating with prosecutor

>> yeah, so joel greenberg appears to be cooperating. look, he is an unsavory character to say the least, but that's the nature of cooperating witnesses. as a prosecutor, when you get someone like joel greenberg, you're only going to cooperate him if, one, he can give you a serious target, and, two, he is backed up by other evidence. you're not just going to take joel greenberg's word as a prosecutor. you're going to say show me the receipts, literally. we know about that venmo transaction. okay, that may support something greenberg says. i'm going to say to greenberg, what other financial transactions do you have? did you ever text with gaetz or anyone else? did you ever email? and so you're not just going to take joel greenberg as a matter of faith. you're not going to sign him up as a cooperator until you're sure he's got the goods. >> could it be bigger fish than even matt gaetz that we haven't heard about or we don't know about? >> for sure, don, so we don't know exactly who joel greenberg is giving the feds, but the deal is you hav

joel greenberg was elected tax collector in seminole county, florida, in november 2016. as we discussed last night, mr. greenberg basically then immediately sat out on a course of behavior that started off like a fire hose of scandal and ended up like a tsunami of scandal. i mean, i can't even cram all of it into another lengthy news segment here, but just in rough cron cloj call order, looking at the high points, local investigations and audits found that starting basically as soon as he took office he spent millions of taxpayer dollars on contracts and payments to his personal friends and some business partners, including six different people who had all been in his wedding several months before he got elected six members of his wedding p papart just happened to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts and deals from the local tax collector's office right after their buddy joel, the groom from that wedding they were in, took over that office what a coincidence six people from the same wedding, huh a county audit found that mr. greenberg spent tons of taxpayer

but his friend joel greenberg was. he couldn't provide information to prosecutors about matt gaetz in the federal investigation of congressman for the sex trafficking of a minor. former federal prosecutor andrew weissman joins us next. cutor anw weissman joins us next ordinary antiperspirants. the new provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret when it comes to autism, finding the right words can be tough. finding understanding doesn't have to be. we can create a kinder, more inclusive world for the millions of people on the autism spectrum. go to autismspeaks.org. cranky-pated: a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. miralax is different. it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. free your gut, and your mood will follow. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. thank you! hey, hey, no, no limu, no limu! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ (mom vo) we fi

and the fact that matt gaetz is out there is a lifeline for joel greenberg because joel greenberg is just a local tax collector. matt gaetz is a congressman, so he's clearly a bigger target. joel greenberg knows where all the bodies are buied here. >> let me press you for a little bit of precision here because in fairness, just following the facts, you said, quote, pretty much confirmed. but can we read into that yet? i mean, what greenberg said could be read as confirmation. i understand what you are drawing on to say that, but could he not also turn around in a few days and say, well, i was referring to why gaetz should be uncomfortable given all the allegations but our client is going a different direction. >> ari, i cannot imagine his lawyers are going to allow him to go to trial where he faces a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence for child sex trafficking. he's like a walking criminal enterprise this guy. the only thing he has going in his favor was there is a bigger fish to flip on. i have always felt it was inevitable this day will come. i think his lawyer, though, when you s

greenberg is accused of, but joel greenberg is indicted on a sex traffic of a minor charge. matt gaetz is being involved in that same charge. >> there's a couple of points in your story my jaw is just dropping. it's so fascinating, i appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> authorities have just released the names of victims from indianapolis. more on that ahead. help share the load. wealth is saving a little extra. worth is knowing it's never too late to start - or too early. ♪ ♪ wealth helps you retire. worth is knowing why. ♪ ♪ principal. for all it's worth. vo: calling all builders, all welders, and roofers. engineers and electricians. calling all brick masons and boiler makers. steel workers and steam fitters your country is calling you to rebuild america. to create a cleaner, safer, more prosperous future for all. tackling climate change, this is the job of our lifetime. it's time to build back better. let's get to work. >>> moments ago indianapolis police released the names of eight victims killed last night in the mass shooting at a fedex facility. 32-year-old matthe

matt gaetz is reportedly a close friend of joel greenberg's, and when investigators charged greenberg with violating child sex trafficking laws, they turned up information that led them to start investigating matt gaetz for similar conduct. "the new york times" has reported the sex trafficking count against joel greenberg involves sex with the same underaged girl as in the gaetz investigation. since the story first broke, matt gaetz has issued a blanket denial of every detail. he says he has never paid for sex. he denies having sex with an underaged girl. he says the whole bahamas thing is a giant fishing expedition. and his friend joel greenberg has denied all of the criminal charges brought up against him as well, until now. today joel greenberg's lawyer told the judge greenberg might be willing to change his not guilty plea and instead strike a plea deal with prosecutors in this case. it is not yet clear how far along these plea discussions are. a judge has asked for an update on those discussions about one month from now. but that potential plea deal, that is the reason that joel

his friend, joel greenberg was. greenberg could provide information of matt gaetz for sex trafficking of a minor. andrew wiseman joins us next. wt i mean it... uh-oh, sorry... oh... what? i'm an emu! no, buddy! only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪ antibacterial or moisturizing body wash? definitely moisturizer! antibacterial can i have both? new dove care & protect body wash eliminates 99% of bacteria and moisturizes for hours two for one! can i keep it? new dove care & protect, zero compromise! people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan t

joel greenberg is currently sitting in jail. he faces nearly-three-dozen counts, on a range of different corruption. the government has immense leverage over him. and, you know, he -- he has intimate knowledge of what went on with matt gaetz. and as we -- as we sit here tonight, joel greenberg is in -- is in jail, awaiting trial in june. and, you know, facing a -- many, many, many years in prison. >> michael schmidt, stunning reporting, tonight. thank you, very much, for joining us on this breaking-news story, with your breaking-news report. really appreciate it. and andrew weissman, thank you for adding your experience, as a prosecutor, to this discussion. really, appreciate it. thank you, very much. >>> and up next. very bad news for defendant trump. a judge has ruled that the nondisclosure agreement donald trump forced his campaign staff to sign is invalid. the latest lawyer to beat donald trump in court, and get that nondisclosure agreement ruled invalid will join us, next. oin t —- neuriva has clinically proven ingredient

so this isn't just about joel greenberg. i mean there's value in this letter because it was written by him and comes from him, given the fact that he was matt gaetz's friend and his wingman in all of this. but there are girls that were involved, and they could provide testimony that backs a lot of this up. >> that is true. jose bag lee airy, thank you for providing pieces to the puzzle. thank you for answering the questions about your reporting. that's why you continue to get a platform on this show. appreciate you. >> thank you, chris. >>> all right. i have good news on the other side of this break. arguably two good pieces of news. but the best, "cuomo prime time" family growing, next. [sfx: psst psst] allergies don't have to be scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! all good when we started carvana, they told us that selling cars 100% online wouldn't work. but we went to work. building an experience that lets you shop over 17,000 cars from home. creating a

after all he was associated with joel greenberg. these guys were engaged in activity that a lot of people find very distasteful. and in the case of joel greenberg, he's been indicted for sex trafficking a minor and other offenses that gaetz is not accused of. so, you know, gaetz in gaetz's view is that if he's quiet he's going to look guilty. so, he's going to be talking. that comes on the heals of him hiring a new legal team. >> in terms of the drip, drip, drip, from your reporting and others, this seems to be a significant investigation now. and, you know, any time that there's someone who faces a bunch of charges and then appears like they're going to plea, that's usually bad news for the people that might be associated with them. but there's also a different points of this. there's joel greenberg who is a county tax assessor. there is a hand surgeon and marijuana entrepreneur who also appears to have had some dealings with mr. gaetz and also is under investigation. it seems like a fairly broad scope. >> it's fair to say that the

joel greenberg is ready to at mitt to really bad crimes. and if it comes to that, he's going to turn on matt gaetz too. he has the gooz. he has the venmo receipts. pardon him. you'll save gaetz. don't pardon him, he'll do what he has to do. >> is there any weakening of republican backing for matt gaetz here? he still maintains his position on the judiciary committee. he says, you know, and others denied it, give him a shot. behind the scenes are there more doubts? >> there are so many doubts. i'm sure you're hearing the same thing. i am. it's not as if matt gaetz as this, you know, huge reservoir of support even among his fellow republicans. right now it's about precedent setting and even people who really, really would prefer in the heart of hearts to see him go. they don't want to push him off the judiciary committee until or unless he is actual indicted, until there are actual charges brought against him f that happens, that's going to be a whole different ball game for him. not just legally but politically with regard to his seat. >> da

if matt gaetz pays joel greenberg a certain amount and joel greenberg transfers that to a woman who admitted she had sex with matt gaetz in the bahamas, you are closer to building a case. >> you pay tensattention to a d here that we were told may 15th is the date the judge set to work out a plea deal. why does that matter? >> it matters for a couple reasons. first, nobody pleads guilty to a case in federal criminal court unless they are cooperating. it's exceedingly rare someone comes in and says, didi did it pleads guilty. if we know they are planning on a plea on may 15th, it's almost 100% that greenberg is cooperating. if they are scheduling the plea for may 15th, it means that they have already proffered joel greenberg. that makes sense. we hear investigators are interviewing women who allegedly participated in these events, men who allegedly participated in the travel. it's possible that they got that information from joel greenberg. you can't go to court with just joel greenberg as a witness. he is banged up in all kinds of ways. you need to corroborate everything he says. investigator

>> reporter: wolf, that key associate is joel greenberg. as part of a plea deal, he could be required to provide prosecutors with evidence against congressman gaetz in that ongoing sex trafficking investigation. tonight, the investigation surrounding florida congressman matt gaetz enters a new phase as a key associate signals he might strike a plea deal with the government. >> it really is an honor to be here today. >> reporter: joel greenberg, a friend of gaetz and a former traxtax collector in seminole county, florida, is likely to strike a deal. >> i'm sure matt gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today. >> reporter: greenberg's attorney was in court today and said any potential for cooperation will be worked out in conjunction with a plea deal. >> if somebody signs a cooperation agreement, they're required to cooperate. >> reporter: the two have been friends for years, posting photos together. gaetz even told a local radio station in 2017 that greenberg would make a good member of congress. >> joel greenberg has gone into the seminole

and so, this isn't just about joel greenberg. i mean, there is value in this letter because it was written by him and comes from him given the fact that he was matt gaetz's friend and his wing man in all of this but there were girls involved and they could provide testimony that backs a lot of this up. >> that is true. jose, thank you for providing pieces to the puzzle. thank you for answering the questions about your reporting and that's why you continue to get a platform on this show. appreciate you. >> thank you, chris. >>> all right. i have good news on the other side of this break. arguably, two good pieces of news. but the best? "cuomo prime time" family, growing. next. (burke) phone it in to 1-800-farmers to get policy perks, like a home and auto-bundle discount. (man) i'm phoning it in and just saved twenty percent. (burke) get your policy perks by calling 1-800-farmers. go ahead, phone it in. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ wanna help kids get their homework done? well, an internet connection's a good

greenberg is accused of, but joel greenberg is indicted on a sex traffic of a minor charge. matt gaetz is being involved in that same charge. >> there's a couple of points in your story my jaw is just dropping. it's so fascinating, i appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> authorities have just released the names of victims from indianapolis. more on that ahead. when i'm on my hands and knees and i'm digging through the dirt. i feel something in me, like a fire, that's just growing. i feel kinder, when nature is so kind to me. find more ways to grow at miracle-gro.com. you know when your dog is itching for a treat. itching for an outing... or itching for some cuddle time. but you may not know when he's itching for help... licking for help... or rubbing for help. if your dog does these frequently. they may be signs of an allergic skin condition that needs treatment. don't wait. talk to your veterinarian and learn more at itchingforhelp.com. >>> moments ago indianapolis police released the names of eight victims killed last night in the mass shooting at a fedex

did you see any of this coming once the joel greenberg case broke open last year? his friendship and relationship with congressman gaetz was not a secret. >> it wasn't. i think the alice in wonder land line, curiouser and curiouser comes to mind. it gets weirder and weirder. a mutual friend of a lawyer who represented the political opponent of greenberg had reached out to me many months ago and said, hey, you should interview this guy because joel greenberg the tax collector tried to smear him as a pedophile and now arrested for it. and then that just mushroomed out into this really bizarre investigation. so, you know, every day there is a new allegation. unfortunately, i can't discuss all of the things that we've been making calls about. but the doctor is among them. this bahamas trip has been long rumored there is a possibility that other florida officials might be wrapped up in this report. republicans might be wrapped up in this as well. >> mark, onest things that i feel like i've seen referenced a lot, both in court documents related to mr. greenberg and in a

a local official named joel greenberg. he was arrested on an array of charges including sex trafficking of a minor and is in jail. the sex trafficking count against mr. greenberg involves the same under age girl. new reporting today sheds light on the relationship between gaetz and greenberg and the relationship between the two criminal investigations. he spoke with three sources who knew joel greenberg before he was charged and all three told joel greenberg bragging about a relationship with a girl 17 at the time. we know that the allegations are solid enough to have served as the basis for very well charges and that there are witnesses that testified to the grandeury about those charges. all of that would show the seriousness of that charge against mr. greenberg. but what is the relationship between this child sex trafficking charge against mr. greenberg. and the matt gaetz investigation for child sex trafficking. on that one more interesting piece of reporting. some people in joel greenberg's orbit suspect that greenber

greenberg actually testifies against him but it can be used against joel greenberg. even if he was trying to get himself a pardon, you don't have to phrase it that way, you can say, i want to be pardoned for everything alleged in my diameter and other investigations. there's no reason to write out this confession. by the way, the notion he was trying to buy a pardon is yet another potential defense i don't know whether or not federal authorities he's now allegedly cooperating with knew about. this could come back to bite matt gaetz if in fact joel greenberg does end up taking the stand against him. >> to your point in case folks at home aren't aware he wrote this letter trying to get a pardon from the president. the detail by mentioning gaetz, was that part of the sales pitch by saying, hey, mr. president, your pal here is involved, you better come to my aid. is that how you read that? >> it's a very interesting part of the reporting because the reporting also said gaetz declined to support the pardon. apparently greenberg got close to getting it and the white house

eastern. >>> still to come this hour, more on the breaking news, joel greenberg's attorney says he is likely to strike a plea deal with prosecutors in the investigation of congressman matt gaetz. what does it mean for the embattled florida congressman? that's next. lergies don't have e scary. spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! all good priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60%. these are all great. and when you get a big deal... you feel like a big deal. ♪ priceline. every trip is a big deal. dignity. this thing you can neither see nor measure... ...but that demands the return of small moments illness attempts to steal. ♪ dignity demands a rapid covid test, ♪ because we all need an answer to move forward. ♪ dignity demands your heart stays connected to your doctor, so you know it's beating as it should. ♪ it demands a better understanding of your glucose levels, so you can enjoy movie night. ♪ and knowing your baby is getting the nutrition he needs, no matter how you choose to feed him. dignity is

tell us the latest news on matt gaetz. >> what we saw today in the trial of his friend joel greenberg, who's been accused of many crimes, including child sex trafficking, mr. greenberg's lawyer and the prosecutors in the case said they're working toward a plea deal. clearly mr. greenberg faces a lot of jail time, a mandatory of 12 years, many decades more if he's not given some sort of break. looking at the facts all sides agree it would be best for him to come to an agreement, to plead guilty, and to cooperate in the investigation. this is really difficult for mr. gaetz because joel greenberg is uniquely situated as his lawyer said to provide information particularly about a 17-year-old girl who both men are thought to have had sex with and provided hotels and other things. that's child sex trafficking, a mandatory ten years in jail. >> cynthia, tell me about this potential deal, his lawyer joel greenberg's lawyer has alluded to it, he said they're working on one, it hasn't been finalized. what can we surmise with respect to joel greenberg and the more than 30 felony charges against

there's a second set of interesting text messages on the screen now where joel greenberg is asking one of his employees to do a favor for him on a sunday afternoon. apparently, congressman gaetz lost his i.d. and he needs a new duplicate right away without explanation. these are going to raise a ton of questions, because we know that these are the text messages delivered to federal investigators that suddenly made them go, matt gaetz? how is he involved in this? and so it's worth paying attention to this case out of central florida because this is the one that could ensnare this congressman. >> interesting. all right, so, after the allegations surfaced, before we read any of your -- the text messages that you got your mands on in the "daily beast," gaetz was really going full court press on this, he was on tv, on twitter, declaring his innocence, but one former federal prosecutor called these appearances a tremendous gift to investigators. what do you think? i mean, this interview on fox news with tucker carlson that we're showing here was bizarre. >> it really was. this was the interv

>> well, yasmin, joel greenberg is more than just a friend and an acquaintance. he is the self-professed wingman to matt gaetz. they go way back, and in typical florida man fashion, there's a whole lot of intertwined entanglement of even some local florida politicians but when it comes to joel greenberg, he has to save his own skin, yasmin. he is looking at dozens of years of federal prison, and so what the federal prosecutors are going to do in the middle district of florida, which is currently investigating and prosecuting joel greenberg, and they're going to want to know, what do you think? more importantly, mr. greenberg, what do you know about people that are higher up in the food chain? people like matt gaetz. people like maybe even roger stone who is on our screen right now, but joel greenberg has had an involvement with matt gaetz that has been corroborated through flights records, through things like venmo transactions. i mean, these are objective things and evidence that prosecutors can look at for purposes of being able to bring a case. and you know wh

mike, bring us up to speed here on joel greenberg. his attorney making it pretty clear that joel greenberg may be flipping on his buddy, matt gaetz here. >> yeah. as you guys were pointing out, fritz sheller is a long time florida attorney. he represented the wife of the pulse nightclub shooter who was indicted and went to trial against the government to fight them and won. and, you know, whatever folks, you know, on the left or the right think of, you know, a lawyer, a lawyer like that, he is not going to go out and say that and not know the message that he is sending. clearly, that is a message directly to the public and to the government and to matt gaetz about the direction of where this is headed, about, you know, what his client is willing to do, because you have to remember, joel greenberg is someone that we, certainly in the national media and anyone following politics had no idea was up until about 10 days ago. but joel greenberg faces an enormous amount of time in prison for a range of charges, including sex trafficking, tha

joel greenberg isn't just being charged with child sex trafficking. it's identity theft and wire fraud and a host of other things. matt could be charged if he was part of a conspiracy with joel greenberg and there is evidence that he was. there is evidence that he was caught on video inside the tax collector's office rummaging around through ids as part of an id theft ring. things are looking really badly for him. >> yeah. in conclusion, since you mentioned that, we'll put up briefly on the screen "the daily beast" reporting on that, which include this pursuit of allegedly fake ids. so as you mentioned for viewers, we want to give the evidence. there is a lot here. our standards and rules require us to mention that mr. gaetz denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. but i think what dave, david and reporting here mentioned shows is there is a lot of questions and what appears to be quite substantial evidence in the story. thanks to both of you. we have to fit in a break. but coming up, the sustained pressure on georgia's voting law

while joel greenberg has been indicted on federal charges, including for trafficking, his connections to gaetz on these matters are still to be established. gaetz is denying all of it. greenberg, a friend of gaetz, who could face decades in prison on 33 federal counts, including identity theft and sex trafficking of a maynor, said to likely strike a plea deal, which could mean a whole lot of pressure on matt gaetz. or in the words of greenberg's attorney, this. >> i am sure matt gaetz not feeling very comfortable today. >> probably not. and that's not all. the feds are looking the a trip gaetz took to the bahamas which could be a federal crime if women traveled with him. a lot more to come. senator joe manchin in the spotlight as a crucial 50th vote for democrats in the senate sits down for a cnn exclusive explaining why he says congress can't go this wake and democrats and republicans have to work together. >> january 6th changed me. i was clear with everybody. i never thought in my life, i never read in history books to where our form of government had been attacked at our seat of g

we've chosen not to name her yet but just seven or eight hours later joel greenberg makes three payments totaling $900 including one of them who was named by matt gaetz. >> it's important to note here that josÉ did not speak with any of the women who received these venmo payments and doesn't have any evidence or proof that the payments were for sex. one of the three women that the daily beast mentions in that article are under age. they're young but not technically under age. while joel greenberg has been indicted on federal charges his connection to gaetz on these matters hasn't been fully established. cnn's paula reid has more on the investigation into both men. >> reporter: the investigation surrounding florida congressman matt gaetz enters a new phase as a key associate signals he might strike a plea deal with the government. >> it really is an honor to be here today. >> reporter: joel greenberg a friend of gaetz and the former tax selector in seminole county, florida, is likely to enter a deal in his own criminal case raising the possibility he could cooperate with investigators as

what can we surmise with respect to joel greenberg and the more than 30 felony charges against him, and whether or not he may be cooperating in a larger probe into matt gaetz? >> well, i think we can surmise that sitting in jail awaiting trial has focused his mind and inspired him to make a deal and we know that based on sort of the colloquy in the courtroom and also all the little bread crumbs his lawyer left outside the courthouse suggesting there was a deal. let's just think about that. all of the transactions, the financial transactions between them would then be available and easy to find by the federal prosecutors. for example, tonight the daily beast is reporting that matt gaetz at one point venmoed greenberg $900 and the next morning greenberg is venmoing young women. and all -- he can explain all those things. i mean, it's just shocking that matt gaetz had a venmo account that was public. and here's a little tip for future defendants, when you can get a venmo, the little box in the corner, you can pick private or public, pick the private one. it's just amazing he had a public v

as his indicted associate joel greenberg indicates he might be looking for a plea deal. as greenberg's lawyer said, i am sure matt gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today. >>> and strike three for conservatives as they slam cancel culture while calling for an all-out boycott of america's pastime. >>> plus biden unveils new executive actions aimed at addressing gun violence. do they go far enough? >>> and the self-appointed prime minister of the united states senate, west virginia's joe manchin, says he will never, ever agree to filibuster changes no matter what that means for biden's agenda or what it means for his own constituents. well, that puts old joe manchin in the running for tonight's absolute worst. but we actually did find someone even more deserving. "the reidout" continues after this. it doesn't happen often. everyday people taking on the corporate special interests. and winning. but now, the for the people act stands on the brink of becoming law. ensuring accurate elections. iron-clad ethics rules to crack down on political self-dealing. a ban on dark mo

but just seven or eight hours later, joel greenberg makes three payments, totaling $900. including, one of them who was named by matt gaetz. >> so, "the daily beast" points out that there is no-conclusive evidence that it was for sex. and none of the three women were underage. and the reporter, jose, didn't speak with any of the women who -- who received these payments. gaetz denies ever paying for sex, or having slept with a 17-year-old. okay. so, now that i got all of that legal stuff out of the way. >> right. >> i just had to make sure. what do you think? >> so, and i will add one little detail. these were public records, before. and they disappeared from gaetz's records, just this week. what do i think? i think, it's really clear, that gaetz and greenberg were, sort of, partners in crime. kind of the biggest jerks in a rich-kids fraternity. and there's -- there's sex floating around and pictures and drugs. ecstasy. and weird payment. what, exactly, does it add up to? i think, it's hard, don, to say right now. that's why they have been investigating for over-eight mont

joel greenberg is a one man criminal enterprise. he's like the joker without the cool makeup. this guy has been involved in so many cool crimes. the jury could believe him. after all, greenberg is currently being charged with trying to smear a political opponent by saying that person is a pedophile. isn't that what he's doing here to matt gaetz? that's what gaetz will say. this is greenberg 2.0. and it may work with a jury. >> was that the joker, were you thinking "dark knight" or the older jack nicholson joker. >> i haven't seen a lot of the new ones. i think of jack nicholson. >> and he was a classic joker. i mean, there is more than one joker. we keep an eye on the culture here even amid serious stories. the palm beach county attorney, always good to have you here, sir. >> thanks for having me back, ari. >> yes, sir. still to come, president biden making news today going right at putin. and there is new revelations that go beyond the mueller report. we got you covered on that. and the increasing attention and scrutiny on what looks like a smoke screen for the republican's m

that's joel greenberg. he is the former seminole county tax commissioner down there, in florida, and he is a close friend of gaetz. who, also, was attending some of these parties. he was indicted last year on multiple-federal charges that includes sex trafficking and he is expected to plead guilty in the coming months, anderson. >> you report that a number of his close associates have ties to -- to this industry. >> well, that's right. so gaetz has a long history of advocating for medical marijuana, and has introduced legislation, both, at the state and federal levels. he's been looking to loosen the laws, regulating the industry. now, according to the reports, dr. jason, who is a florida doctor who founded a medical-marijuana advocacy group went with gaetz on this 2018 trip to the bahamas. gaetz has referred to the doctor as one of his best friends. the pair have repeatedly intersected over the -- over this medical-marijuana issue. as far back as 2014. gaetz, at the time, was a state representative in flor

the way we are told from sources and the way joel greenberg's lawyer describes it, joel greenberg has potentially pivotal information that could help investigators in the matt gaetz investigation. as i mentioned they both allegedly shared this same girl for sex which would be illegal. we understand from talking to people in this world and other officials that investigators are exploring allegations joel greenberg was the guy that procured women for gaetz. greenberg has credibility issues. one of the things that first got him on the radar was fabricating evidence against another politician. he is not the person you want as a cooperator or witness because jurors, if it came to that, would not very likely believe him. but he could point investigators in the areas they may be didn't think they go or evidence they didn't know existed. his cooperation certainly ups the ante for gaetz but we will see if he pleads guilty, he is still just a negotiations, b, how much he cooperates and c, how honest he is. host: gaetz insists the claims are false but also talked about extortion issues. can you

because you don't want to go to trial on the word of joel greenberg alone. the. >> shan, how do you see it? >> i agree, though i really think judging from the lawyer's remarks for greenberg, he is going to cooperate. and i think one important context, fred, is the epstein case. because the justice department has messed this up once before, letting a sex trafficker go with just a slap on the wrist. they're not going to let that happen again. this is a different environment than it was before. the testimony of any of these complainants, particularly the underaged minor, will be devastating. this is a new time. we care about victims and this is a problem for gaetz. >> i'm glad you brought that up. i'm telling you at the beginning of reading things on this story, it sure made me think about the epstein case in south florida, and how that evolved. we'll leave it there. thank you so much. we will talk again soon, michael, shan. thank you very much. we will talk about the second week of the damaging testimony of the prosecution witnesses in this case. next, carvana

>> well, joel greenberg was charged with a number of items including stalking a political rival and so what we have seen in the last few days is that matt gaetz is being investigated with more than just initial travel of a 17-year-old, but involved potentially or investigated for some of the activities that joel greenberg was involved in and has been indicted for. so, you know, if the person that we are calling is the political rival is the subject of the stalking charges for joel greenberg, it is possible that is one of the things that matt gaetz is interested in and whether he participated in that enough to warrant the charges. >> this is where it is serious and upsetting, because sources are telling cnn that gaetz has a reputation about bragging about the sex life and showing off photos of nude women who he claims to have slept with to other lawmakers and gaetz has not responded to comments about this, and anna ana, reports of showing images of these nude women on the house floor and no indication it is connected to the probe, but what are the potential consequences or anyone is to

joel greenberg. and he is in trouble. he faces nearly three dozen federal charges and has a hearing tomorrow. now, the question is, will federal authorities really put the pressure on greenberg to give them something on gaetz? would he do that? what will it mean? is there a chance that this is about more than even greenberg and gaetz? let's go to somebody who knows north florida, knows the rumors and knows the context. a journalist who knows all of what you want to know. next. prevents crab grass and feeds your lawn. all three,in just one bag. i like that. scotts turf builder triple action. it's lawn season. let's get to the yard. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy, even a term policy, for an immediate cash payment. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized that we needed a way to supplement our income. if you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of life insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your polic