The Matt Gaetz sex-trafficking scandal knows no bounds. Now we learn the Florida Congressman's associate Jason Pirozzolo paid the expenses for the party in the Bahamas where Gaetz had sex with escorts, including an underage girl, allegedly.
Who is Dr. Jason Pirozzolo? A hand surgeon based in Orlando, he's listed as chairman of the board and co-founder of the American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association (AMMPA), which claims to have over 1,000 members. According to his LinkedIn profiile, Pirozzolo specializes in sports medicine and studied at Penn State and Nova Southeast universities.
In 2017, Gaetz and convicted Trump confidant Roger Stone delivered keynotes at the AMMPA conference in Orlando. Pirozzolo hosted a fundraiser for Gaetz on October 6.
Pirozollo gushed about Gaetz at the time:
“Congressman Gaetz has been a staunch supporter of patients rights and has spent the last few years essentially trying to legislate an answer to the question, Does medical marijuana work? His efforts are leading to improved access to marijuana research while single handedly revolutionizing the industry by helping to provide a regulatory framework that will ultimately help both patients and physicians safely and effectively explore these alternative treatment options.”
Then Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg chimed in about Gaetz:
“Few people of our generation have demonstrated the ability of combining talent and ambition to serve the public like Matt Gaetz has done.”
Greenberg has been indicted on 33 counts of sex trafficking of a minor, stalking and identity theft, and has been linked to Gaetz's activities with women, both underage and adults and possibly escorts. Greenberg will likely make a deal with the Feds and turn on Gaetz, who won his third term in Congess in November.
In 2018 and 2019, Gaetz intoduced the Medical Cannabis Research Act in the House. He explained why in a press release:
“For too long, Congress has faced a dilemma with cannabis-related legislation: we cannot reform cannabis law without researching its safety, its efficacy, and its medical uses - but we cannot perform this critical research without first reforming cannabis law. The Medical Cannabis Research Act helps break that logjam, allowing researchers to study medical cannabis without fear of legal jeopardy.
"This bipartisan legislation will make a tremendous difference to researchers nationwide, who may finally be able to develop cures for illnesses that affect many of America’s most vulnerable populations. I fully believe that this bill has a chance to pass this Congress and be signed into law by the President, who expressed his support for medical cannabis during his campaign. I thank my colleagues for their support, and look forward to passing sweeping cannabis reform legislation this Congress."
Nothing happened with Gaetz's cannabis legislation, despite Pirozollo's undying support. "We always will support more research," he told Ganjapreneur in 2018. "In fact, Congressman Matt Gaetz is in the process of working on legislation up in Washington, D.C., that will help facilitate research on the nationwide level. And those we should see a lot of good benefit from them."
In 2019, Pirozzolo met Trump on the tarmac at Orlando International Airport.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey and Jason Pirozzolo, an Orlando hand surgeon and GOAA board member. pic.twitter.com/5b9QbYifYb
— Ryan Gillespie (@byRyanGillespie) June 18, 2019
Pirozzolo say he works at Orlando Hand Surgery Associates, but is not listed as one of the company's doctors.
