Attorney in Gaetz case smears young victim for decisions made after she was allegedly sex trafficked

On Friday, Politico reported on the latest in the sex scandals swirling around Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

As Daily Beast reporter Roger Sollenberger noted, there was a "bombshell" buried in the 19th paragraph of the story.

"Under the federal sex-trafficking law, sex with a minor for money is a crime — even if the minor lied about his or her age. However, the circumstances of the case involving Gaetz is giving prosecutors pause, according to two attorneys representing separate people in the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the evidence they have seen," Politico reported.

The publication quoted one of the attorneys in the case.

"The federal government doesn't like to try out novel legal theories in court, especially against sitting members of Congress because it usually doesn't work," the attorney said. "Yes, there's strict liability for someone who has sex with a 17-year-old even if she's only a few months away from turning 18 and even if she becomes a hardcore porn star. But prosecuting a case like this would be highly unusual if there's no hard evidence showing Gaetz has done this and the case rests on an admitted liar like Greenberg and the word of a hardcore porn star."

Sollenberger offered his analysis.

"An attorney representing a person in the Gaetz case indicates the underage sex trafficking victim has told authorities she had sex with Matt Gaetz when she was 17," he explained.

"Should also point out Politico printed this smear job on an underage sex trafficking victim from a defense attorney who has the interest of protecting Gaetz," he added.