Category: Sex Scandals

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Congress GOP Sex Scandals

Latest Court Filing Is The Worst Possible News For Matt Gaetz

As Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL) prepares to steer a course for his reelection effort in November, an ominous new court filing in the Sunshine State is certain to have him and his attorneys very worried, as the lead witness against him is making it clear that he is naming names and not leaving anyone out of the rapidly expanding sex trafficking scandal that threatens to send Gaetz to federal prison for the rest of his life.

According to Newsweek, the filing suggests that federal investigators are determined to get to the bottom of not only any alleged crimes Gaetz may have committed, but also those of anyone even remotely associated with him:

Joel Greenberg, an associate of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, has highlighted his cooperation with numerous investigations ahead of his sentencing for child sex trafficking crimes being set.

Greenberg is facing 12 years in jail after he pleaded guilty to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a child, identity theft, stalking, wire fraud, and conspiracy to bribe a public official.

Prior to his sentencing date, Greenberg’s lawyer filed a motion on Tuesday asking a judge for permission to submit additional information to the court under seal related to his cooperation in other criminal investigations.

Of special concern to Gaetz and others in his orbit is this line from Greenberg’s attorney, Fritz Scheller:

“Pursuant to his plea agreement with the Government and to mitigate the significant penalties he faces, Mr. Greenberg has been cooperating with federal prosecutors in active investigations currently being conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Florida and the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. as well as in other jurisdictions.”

The “other jurisdictions” reference is certain to send a chill up the spine of Gaetz and anyone who has been associated with him over the past few years because it suggests the investigation could wind up ensnaring other members of Congress who have even tangential ties to Gaetz.

Greenberg alleges that he and Gaetz had sex with multiple underage girls who were then given cash or gifts in exchange. Since they also allegedly took those girls across state lines, they committed the federal crime of sexually trafficking minors. The penalty for that offense can be as severe as life imprisonment.

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Crime Sex Scandals Social Media WTF?!

Twitter Erupts With Laughter And Disgust After Matt Gaetz Says Sexual Predators Must Be Punished

Like so many Republicans in the Age of Trump, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has absolutely no shame, no remorse, and no discernable intellect.

If you doubt that, consider that Gaetz stood on the floor of the House of Representatives Monday and demanded that those who sexually harass others be held accountable for their actions.

HuffPost reports:

Gaetz’s comments were made on the floor of the House in support of a bill that would end mandatory arbitration for workplace sexual harassment claims.

Here’s what Gaetz had the gall to say despite the fact that he’s currently under federal investigation for allegedly engaging in the sexual trafficking of an underage girl:

“Here is the question presented: Should sexual harassers who work for big businesses get to pick their juries in advance? I believe that the populist, nationalist right approach is to believe that the Article 3 courts, that we have set up for any and all, function as the proper venue. But for tens of millions of American workers, that courthouse door is locked!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMorCe6zJ7c&feature=emb_logo

Keep in mind this is the same Matt Gaetz who was the only member of Congress to vote against an anti-human trafficking bill in 2017, Politifact has confirmed:

Gaetz really was the only vote against an anti-human trafficking bill that Trump signed into law. The reason he offered at the time was not on the bill’s substance, but in favor of limiting government. 

The Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent in September 2017. When the House passed the bill in December 2017, Gaetz was the only no vote. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law in January 2018.

The Florida Republican was so pleased with his speech on Monday that he posted a video of it on his Twitter account:

That was all it took for social media to punch back at Gaetz.

https://twitter.com/sonnycharette/status/1490828715080646658?s=20&t=eeRXJNeeDuurPjMiWEEcSQ
 

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Crime GOP Sex Scandals

Immunity Deal For Key Female Witness Means Matt Gaetz’s Goose Is Cooked: Report

The single most important witness in the case against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has reached an immunity deal with federal prosecutors and agreed to testify against him, according to a report from NBC News, and that’s the surest sign yet the Florida congressman is indeed going to be indicted on charges of sexually trafficking underage girls, a crime which could potentially send Gaetz to prison for the rest of his life.

Recently, Gaetz’s former girlfriend testified before a federal grand jury, a move that one former prosecutor called “diabolical but brilliant.”

NBC senior national reporter Marc Caputo says that the latest testimony and plea deal suggests that the chances of Gaetz being indicted are significantly greater than they were a week ago:

“When this broke, the ex-girlfriend was talking to another woman who was talking to prosecutors that felt the woman may have recorded the call and may have patched in Matt Gaetz at the time and prosecutors suspect he tried to elicit or entice or suborn obstruction of justice and his ex-girlfriend may have participated in that. That was the basis of her getting an immunity deal; ‘don’t charge me for this and I’ll tell you the things you want to know.'”

Caputo then added:

“Exactly what she told them is key but what’s important to note here is that she’s an important bridge that unlocks the case or unstalls it. It was stuck in neutral. Now the case is clearly going forward. I can’t promise he’s going to be indicted but the chances are higher.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uwTP7ohxQs&feature=emb_logo
 

The fact that the woman is Gaetz’s former paramour and not his wife is also significant, according to MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos:

There are exactly zero “girlfriend” testimonial privileges. It doesn’t matter if the girlfriend has lived with the boyfriend for years. It doesn’t matter if they have kids together. A girlfriend is not a wife — but she is a potential gold mine for prosecutors. They have a witness who often knows the target as well as a spouse would, but who can be questioned, cajoled and subpoenaed without worrying about any of those pesky privilege barriers.

Gaetz was already in BIG trouble, but now he’s officially toast.

 

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Congress Crime Sex Scandals

Florida Bar Suspends Matt Gaetz From Practicing Law

 

The bad news just keeps rolling in for embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is reportedly under investigation for sexually trafficking underage girls.

The Daily Beast reports that the Florida Bar Association has suspended Gatez from practicing law in his home state:

As of Wednesday, Gaetz had not paid the fees he owes to The Florida Bar, which regulates lawyers there, prompting the organization to deem him “delinquent” and “not eligible to practice law in Florida.”

As you might expect, rather than be forthright about not paying the required money, Joel Valdez, a spokesperson for Gaetz tried to spin the latest humiliation for the congressman:

“Congressman Gaetz is no longer actively engaged in the practice of law. He is focused on representing his constituents in Congress, not the courtroom.”

However, attorneys who spoke to Daily Beast reporter Jose Pagliery said that sounds like a load of bull:

That explanation may sound reasonable enough. But four attorneys who spoke to The Daily Beast noted that it is extremely rare for lawyers to do this. Instead, attorneys taking a step back from their legal duties normally pay a smaller $175 fee to remain “inactive” but still a “member in good standing.

“He clearly doesn’t take his law license very seriously when he doesn’t take the time to pay the $265 dues,” said Daniel Uhlfelder, a Santa Rosa Beach attorney who lives in Gaetz’s district. “He’s not a serious lawyer. He’s not a serious congressman. He’s not a serious person. This is one small but symbolic example of that.”

The real reason Gaetz isn’t paying his dues to the Bar Association is probably so he can avoid having his law license revoked as more evidence continues to come to light regarding his alleged sexual misconduct with minors, according to Cris Dosev, a real estate developer who ran against Gaetz in the GOP primary last year:

“It might be a calculated move. I think he’s preemptively trying to remove a level of scrutiny from the Bar.”

This has been the proverbial “week from hell” for Gaetz, with his former “wingman,” Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Greenberg receiving a four month delay in his sentencing as he continues to cooperate with federal prosecutors as they investigate whether or not the congressman sexually exploited underage girls.

If convicted of sexually trafficking minors across state lines, Gaetz could be sentenced to life in prison.

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Congress Crime GOP Sex Scandals

Gaetz Abruptly Ends Press Conference As Reporter Asks Him: ‘Are You A Pedophile?’

On Tuesday, as the first day of hearings began for the House Select Committee on January 6, a group of four Republican lawmakers decided they’d go to the Department of Justice building and protest the treatment of people arrested following the Capitol insurrection, whom they claim are “political prisoners.”

In attendance were Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Matt Gaetz (FL), Louie Gohmert (Texas), and Paul Gosar (AZ), The Hill reports:

“(Greene, Gaetz, Gohmert, and Gosar) were holding a news conference outside the DOJ to protest the treatment of individuals arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, when counterprotesters arrived on the scene.

“One protester repeatedly blew a whistle during the event, and other demonstrators were holding signs that read ‘Jan 6th was an inside job, vets for democrats’ and ‘Traitors + Rapists: Sit Down,’ the latter likely referring to Gaetz, who is under investigation for an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.”

The counterprotests were so loud and raucous that at one point a man announced:

“The left is interrupting the press conference, we need to end it.”

As the crowd was dispersing, a reporter repeatedly asked Gaetz:

“Are you a pedophile?”

https://twitter.com/ZTPetrizzo/status/1420069248781668364?s=20

Gaetz couldn’t walk fast enough to get away from the scene, and the question he was being asked came just hours after his future sister-in-law, Roxanne Luckey, posted a series of videos on TikTok in which she lambasted the Florida congressman, calling him “a literal pedophile.”

Gaetz is currently under federal investigation for allegedly being sexually active with an underage girl he trafficked across state lines, a crime which can carry a penalty of life in prison.

Gaetz, Greene, Gohmert, and Gosar are all trying their best to deflect attention from the fact that many in their party supported and continue to support the domestic terrorists who stormed the Capitol earlier this year. But all the distractions in the world won’t be able to paper over the fact that the current GOP is under the thrall of a monster named Trump and believes violence is more valuable than democracy.