A longtime associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has resigned his position at a prestigious lobbying firm amid the allegations of sex trafficking that are scandalizing the congressman.
WKMG reported that Chris Dorworth stepped down from Ballard Partners on Friday. He had been with the firm since losing his Florida House seat in 2012.
“The current political climate is nasty, and I told Brian I don't think its fair for the recent media storm to take away from their missions," Dorworth explained in a tweet on Friday, referring to Brian Ballard, president of the lobbying firm.
Dorworth's biography and photo have since been scrubbed from the Ballard Partners website.
In a tweet last year, Gaetz and Dorworth were seen in a photo with Joel Greenberg, who is facing sex trafficking and dozens of other federal charges. He is expected to enter into a plea deal, his attorney has said.
@mattgaetz and @ChrisDorworth duckface and all. #WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/oIAzfXgkCh
— Joel Greenberg (@JoelGreenbergTC) June 22, 2019
Intelligence analyst Eric Garland pointed out that Ballard has been former President Donald Trump's "lobbyist of choice in Florida."
In addition to being Trump's lobbyist of choice in Florida, who are Ballard Partners?
Well. It's both a long story and a fairly easy one: https://t.co/8f9OJ0tOk1
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) April 11, 2021
Yes, Trump had actual foreign agents defending him at his freakin' impeachment. That the media didn't actually notice this is...well, unsurprising at this point. But here you are. https://t.co/pUmgIrGtHL pic.twitter.com/wM2jlJ6mE8
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) April 11, 2021
