Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was reportedly photographed reviewing a document that appears to be a draft contract to provide services—including “administration-related guidance”—to a firm affiliated with the major marijuana company Trulieve. The visible portion of the document describes a lucrative bonus if a certain “matter resolves,” with an “additional ‘Super Success Fee’” for other “exclusive policy remedies.”

Gaetz, who was President Donald Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney general before he withdrew, was a rare example of a pro-legalization GOP congressman. He resigned from Congress amid unrelated controversies, but he remains a staunch Trump ally.

Details of the apparent agreement—first reported by The Daily Beast—are sparse, as the person who took a screenshot of Gaetz on his laptop during a flight was only able to capture a segment of it. It’s also unclear whether a firm hired by Trulieve sent him the proposed contract or if Gaetz himself was drafting it for consideration—and the company’s name is misspelled as “Truleive” in the available excerpt.

Marijuana Moment reached out to Trulieve and Gaetz for comment, but representatives were not available.

What the document seems to show, however, is a potential agreement where Gaetz would provide “legal representation,” “consulting” and “administration-related guidance” in lobbying efforts to a firm associated with Trulieve. It indicates that Gaetz would get $250,000 if the certain “MATTER resolves.”

What “matter” the document is referring to is unclear. But Trulieve has pushed for various federal reforms such as marijuana rescheduling and industry banking access. It also spent tens of millions of dollars on 2024 marijuana legalization ballot campaign in Florida that ultimately fell short.

The deal would also involve an additional “Super Success Fee” for “exclusive policy remedies,” but the exact dollar amount of that fee is cut off in the screenshot—with The Daily Beast reasoning that it is likely to read “$2,000,000″— and it’s not clear what those policies remedies entail.

The document was posted as a reply comment on a TikTok video that’s gained national attention for other reasons, with Gaetz captured reading text messages with his mother about foreign policy and personal finance issues.

@tidesofmarch Replying to @CυԃԃʅყDҽαԃKιƚƚყ ♬ original sound – 🤷🏽‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

In a surprise development during Trump’s presidential campaign last year, he did endorse the Florida measure Trulieve backed, as well as federal rescheduling and allowing licensed cannabis businesses to access the banking system like other traditional companies. He’s been silent on the issue, at least publicly, since then.

Notably, Trump’s endorsement of the Florida initiative followed a meeting he had with Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, who also did not respond to a request for comment.

Unlike Trump, however, Gaetz did not back the Florida ballot measure. He didn’t speak to the merits of Amendment 3, but he said the reform should be enacted statutorily so that there’s more flexibility for the legislature to adjust the law in the future as opposed to via a constitutional amendment.

Trulieve contributed $750,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee following his election last November, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show.

Combined with the $250,000 that another cannabis company, Curaleaf, donated to the inauguration via U.S. Cannabis Council (USCC), Trump’s team took in at least $1 million from the marijuana industry ahead of his swearing-in ceremony for a second term.

Gaetz, for his part, has been particularly vocal about cannabis policy issues in recent months.

Just this week, the former congressman reiterated his own support for rescheduling cannabis—suggesting in an interview with a Florida Republican lawmaker that the GOP could win more of the youth vote by embracing marijuana reform.

Gaetz also said last month that Trump’s endorsement of a Schedule III reclassification was essentially an attempt to shore up support among young voters rather than a sincere reflection of his personal views about cannabis.

A survey conducted by a GOP pollster affiliated with Trump that was released in April found that a majority of Republicans back a variety of cannabis reforms, including rescheduling. And, notably, they’re even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal interference compared to the average voter.

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Meanwhile, Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to run DOJ, and the Senate confirmed that choice. During her confirmation hearings, Bondi declined to say how she planned to navigate key marijuana policy issues. And as state attorney general, she opposed efforts to legalize medical cannabis.

Adding to the uncertainty around the fate of the rescheduling proposal, Trump’s nominee to lead DEA, Terrance Cole, has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth.

During an in-person hearing before the Judiciary Committee in April, Cole said examining the rescheduling proposal will be “one of my first priorities” if he was confirmed for the role, saying it’s “time to move forward” on the stalled process—but again without clarifying what end result he would like to see.

DEA recently notified an agency judge that the proceedings are still on hold—with no future actions currently scheduled. The matter sat without action before an acting administrator, Derek Maltz, who has called cannabis a “gateway drug” and linked its use to psychosis. Maltz has since left the position.

Amid the stalled marijuana rescheduling process that’s carried over from the last presidential administration, congressional researchers recently reiterated that lawmakers could enact the reform themselves with “greater speed and flexibility” if they so choose, while potentially avoiding judicial challenges.

Meanwhile, a newly formed coalition of professional athletes and entertainers, led by retired boxer Mike Tyson, sent a letter to Trump on Friday—thanking him for past clemency actions while emphasizing the opportunity he has to best former President Joe Biden by rescheduling marijuana, expanding pardons and freeing up banking services for licensed cannabis businesses.

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