Category: GOP

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Congress GOP

Ethics Report: ‘Prostitution, Statutory Rape, Illegal Drug Use’ By Matt Gaetz

Former GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida allegedly engaged in several illegal activities, including drug use, prostitution, and statutory rape, according to the draft of a report from the House Ethics Committee that has not yet been made public.

CBS News reports, “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”

One of the most explosive allegations details a 2018 trip the Florida Republican made to the Bahamas where he reportedly had a drug-soaked party with at least four women.

“From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use,” noted the report, which lists payments totaling more than $90,000 to 12 different women.

The committee said it also received testimony that at a 2017 party, Gaetz twice had sex with “Victim A,” who was 17 years old at the time and had just completed her junior year in high school.

“Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex,” the committee wrote. “Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”

Drugs are a constant theme at the parties Gaetz was a part of. So much so that some of the women who were present at them said later they could only recall portions of what happened because they had been so loaded.

The report noted that while all the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Gaetz were consensual, one woman told the committee the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have “impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent.”

Gaetz resigned from Congress in November after Donald Trump said he planned to nominate him as the next attorney general. After pushback from Republicans, Gaetz withdrew his name for consideration.

It remains to be seen is if Gaetz will ever face legal consequences for his behavior, especially since he has hinted he may seek office in Florida, either as governor or U.S. Senator from the Sunshine State.

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Congress GOP

Mike Johnson’s ‘Extremely Tenuous’ Speakership Is Coming To A Humiliating End

When the next Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, 2025, one of the first things you can expect to see transpire is a vote to remove Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA).

On Thursday, Johnson watched as a bipartisan funding bill to keep the U.S. government running through the holidays went down in flames after both Donald Trump and Elon Musk signaled they didn’t want it to pass.

Mychael Schnell of The Hill explained Johnson’s precarious position as he tries to please members of the House GOP caucus and the Trump-Musk coalition, which appears to be a co-presidency, even though Musk wasn’t on the ballot.

“The fact that Mike Lee and, for example, Marjorie Taylor Greene also are floating other people for speaker, including Elon Musk, is a reflection of their discontent with speaker Johnson, and that’s the significant part here,” Schnell noted. “The House is going to gather in the chamber on Jan. 3 to select the next speaker of the House, and while Mike Johnson was unanimously nominated by his conference last month for the gavel, his grip on that looks extremely tenuous right now.”

“There’s at least one Republican, Tom Massie, who’s already saying he will not support Johnson on Jan. 3,” Schnell added. “I’ve spoken to a number of others who say they are uncertain, and they are very upset with how speaker Johnson is currently handling the spending deal. Talking about Marjorie Taylor Greene for a second, she was somebody who led the motion to vacate against Johnson earlier this year, then ultimately said she would support him. The fact that she is now floating somebody else shows how deep this discontent is with the Republican conference, and it is a worrying sign for Mike Johnson as he heads into the speaker vote next month.”

“I will note the whole conversation in the lead up to this spending fight was Republicans were saying, we are watching so closely to see how Mike Johnson handles this, this will determine if we can support him in January,” Schnell concluded “Right now, it’s not going well for him.”

While it’s certainly fun to watch Johnson get dealt a giant dose of karma, his imminent downfall raises a troubling question: Who will replace him? Might it be a hardcore MAGA maniac like Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) or some other right-wing extremist who is only too happy to do the bidding of both Musk and Trump? If so, we could be in for some very dark days ahead.

 

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Congress Elon Musk GOP WTF?!

Rand Paul Suggests Making Elon Musk Speaker Of The House

When he donated hundreds of millions of dollars to help Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election, Elon Musk apparently managed to purchase the entire Republican Party, too

Sen. Rand Paul provided irrefutable evidence of that this morning on the social media platform that Musk happens to own.

“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress,” Paul wrote on Twitter/X. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds)”

Could Musk qualify for the post of leading the House of Representatives? Perhaps, but would that be a good idea? After all, his only qualification is being the richest man in the world and Trump’s benefactor. Also, the fact that he was born in South Africa might be a sticking point, especially since he’d then be in the presidential line of succession.

Also, the fact that Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX, has millions of dollars in contracts with the federal government would raise serious conflict of interest questions.

Sen. Paul’s harebrained suggestion was immediately met with online pushback. Here’s a sampling:

https://twitter.com/Vincinnatus/status/1869726376854766076

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GOP Social Media WTF?!

GOP Lawmaker Mocked For Posting Photo Of Star Wars Prop He Claims Is A ‘Crashed Drone’

Pennsylvania GOP state senator Doug Mastriano announced on Twitter/X that he had located one of the drones that have been spotted hovering over areas in the Northeastern United States over the past several days, but was quickly humiliated when the photo included with his online posting proved to be a prop from the “Star Wars” movie franchise.

“It is inconceivable that the federal government has no answers nor has taken any action to get to the bottom of the unidentified drones. The fecklessness of this administration was on display last year when a Chinese surveillance balloon was allowed to fly over the entire continental United States before being shot down. Such should be viewed as a threat to our nation and citizens and action is long overdue. We have recourses and assets in our arsenal to get answers, but I suppose Ukraine is more important to the White House. January 20th can’t come soon enough,” Mastriano wrote.

Has Mastriano never seen a “Star Wars” film, or is he just trying to stir up fear over a situation that has drawn national interest?

Whatever the reason, the senator was sternly rebuked by others on Twitter.

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GOP Military U.S. Senate

WATCH A Retired General Put GOP Sen. John Kennedy In His Place

 

Republican Sen. John Kennedy (LA) got more than he bargained for when he tried to attack a retired general at a Senate hearing today.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Kennedy asked Retired Major General Randy Manner about Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan and accused him of favoring “open borders.”

“It makes you angry that most Americans don’t believe in open borders, doesn’t it?” Kennedy asked.

“Not in the slightest, sir,” Manner responded.

Kennedy then asked Manner about a remark he made to CNN on October 14.

“President Trump is not like any sane leader. I’m very proud of General Milley for saying that President Trump is a total fascist,” Kennedy quoted Manner saying. “The challenge is because most MAGA Republicans, they don’t understand what fascism is. The reality is that they are, in fact, fascists themselves.”

“Did I read that accurately?” Kennedy inquired.

“Senator, I am happy to discuss my personal perspectives with you separately at any time,” the general explained. “That’s not the purpose of the hearing today.”

Kennedy: “You think you’re smarter than the American people, don’t you?”

“Absolutely not, senator,” Manner replied. “I am here to discuss the use of the military as part of this mass deportation.”

“You think you’re more virtuous than the American people, don’t you, general?” Kennedy asked.

That’s when Manner let Kennedy know he wasn’t about to take any of his crap.

“Senator, I am insulted by your comment. Senator, for 35 years, I served my country with absolute honor and distinction, and I will continue to do so.”