Tag: Sex Scandals

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Crime GOP Sex Scandals

Court Says Ohio State Sex Abuse Suits Will Proceed – That’s Bad News For Jim Jordan

Ohio Congressmnan Jim Jordan (R) may be even angrier and more on edge than usual in the days ahead as the result of a Supreme Court ruling handed down that leaves in place a prior decision allowing over 230 men to sue Ohio State University for sexual abuse committed by Richard Strauss, a deceased former doctor who was employed by the university.

 

According to the Associated Press:

Two cases involving the abuse were on a list of many cases the court said it would not hear. And, as is typical, the court did not comment in saying it would not hear the cases.

Ohio State University had urged the court to review a ruling by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that revived lawsuits that had been dismissed. The men who sued are among hundreds of former student-athletes and other alumni who say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998.

They say university officials failed to stop him despite complaints raised as early as the late 1970s. Many of them allege Strauss abused them during required physicals and other medical exams at campus athletic facilities, a student health center, his home and an off-campus clinic.

Jordan’s connection to the scandal involves his role as an assistant coach for the OSU men’s wrestling team during the time of the alleged sexual assaults.

Six former wrestlers say Jordan knew they were being abused by Dr. Strauss but did nothing to stop or even report what was taking place.

As CNN noted in 2020, the wrestlers allege that “Jordan heard or responded to sexual misconduct complaints about team doctor Richard Strauss. Eight others say Strauss’ inappropriate behavior was an open secret in the athletic department and that Jordan, among others, must have known about it.”

Jordan has repeatedly denied he knew anything about the abuse, but one of the former wrestlers, Tito Vasquez, says the congressman is lying:

“When these complaints come and he pretends now that he had no knowledge of it, that’s betrayal in the highest level.”

The Supreme Court decision could also have repercussions for Jordan, if only by placing the matter back in the public eye with the congressman seeking reelection 2024 and drawing strong criticism for his hearings on what he calls the “weaponization” of the FBI and Justice Department by the Biden administration.

Additionally, Jordan is facing the prospect of being further damaged by an upcoming HBO documentary being compiled by actor George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures, with Clooney remarking, “It’s a devastating story about people in power abusing and then covering up their criminal actions against students. The fact that it hasn’t been resolved as of yet is deeply disturbing.”

Be afraid, Gym. Be very afraid.

 

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Congress GOP

House Ethics Committee Investigating Matt Gaetz For Sexual Misconduct And Illegal Drug Use

 

Though he managed to not be criminally charged for allegedly engaging in the sexual trafficking of underage girls, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is once again under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for possible sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.

CNN reports the committee’s investigation — which started in 2021 — has been revived after it was shut down when Republicans narrowly took control of the House of Representatives after the 2022 midterm election.

A source familiar with the House panel’s work told CNN that the Justice Department’s decision not to bring charges against Gaetz does not impact what the committee will and won’t investigate. The committee plans to examine the same allegations they were looking into when they opened the investigation in 2021, the source told CNN.

The Ethics Committee, which at the time was controlled by Democrats, originally opened an investigation in 2021, publicly announcing that they were examining a range of allegations including that Gaetz violated sex trafficking laws, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted a bribe, among other claims.

Gaetz insisted he wasn’t worried about being under investigation yet again.

“The Ethics Committee typically operates through leaks and so this is no surprise, but the Ethics Committee has never found me to be in violation of House rules, though they’ve been investigating me during my entire seven years in Congress,” he said. “It’s also funny that the one guy who doesn’t take the corrupt lobbyist and PAC money seems to be under the most Ethics investigation.”

The Florida Republican, you may recall, was suspected of having committed some very serious federal crimes.

The investigation into Gaetz came after allegations emerged that the he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. The Justice Department investigated to determine if Gaetz had paid or illegally trafficked the girl to have sex. His ex-girlfriend was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony to a federal grand jury. 

Had Gaetz been charged and found guilty of sexually trafficking an underage girl, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.

Gaetz also reportedly asked failed ex-president Donald Trump for a pardon in the final days of the administration.

 

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Congress GOP Sex Scandals

Comedian Nikki Glaser Burns Matt Gaetz Down With Hilarious NSFW Monologue

Comedian Nikki Glaser was guest host on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Thursday evening, and as part of her monologue she gave her take on prominent American political figures in both parties.

HuffPost reports that Glaser began with failed, one-term former president Donald Trump:

“What can you say about Donald Trump that he hasn’t already heard at this point? Oh, I know! ‘Yes I’d love to have sex with you.'”

Vice President Kamala Harris was next:

“I know we’re having fun right now, but on a serious note I do want to say Kamala Harris is still missing. If you have any information on her whereabouts please contact her parents. They miss her. We don’t, but they do.”

The most biting lines were saved for Republicans in Congress, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (SC) and Ted Cruz (TX), along with Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA).

Gaetz got the most brutal (and accurate) roasting, with Glaser noting:

“Look at him: What a ladies’ man, right? No, I’m sorry, I mean, what a child’s man … You’d think he’d have better hair for someone so good at grooming.”

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Crime GOP Sex Scandals

‘Methodical’ Prosecutor Preparing Airtight Case Against Matt Gaetz – Indictments Expected After Midterms

Despite the legal cloud hanging over him, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) won his primary on Tuesday and will be on the ballot in November. He is also expected to win re-election.

But that victory will likely be pyrrhic, as a new report from The Daily Beast reveals the main federal prosecutor working on the sex trafficking case against Gaetz is being incredibly “methodical” and is expected to unseal any indictments against the congressman after the midterm elections.

Lyle Mazin, a criminal defense attorney who represents a witness in the case, told The Daily Beast that the quiet should not be misconstrued as reluctance on the part of Roger Handberg, a federal prosecutor who led the local team conducting the investigation and now leads the Florida Middle District U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“He’s methodical. He doesn’t let anything go,” Mazin said. “If you’re going after a monster, you have to get it right—especially when you have a bunch of Trump supporters who’ll come after you.”

Indictments and plea deals have already been reached with key figures in the sex trafficking probe, and the person who can do the most damage to Gaetz — former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who is known as Gaetz’s “wingman” — continues to provide a road map that investigators are following as they get closer to charging the congressman.

Any charges, however, won’t be filed before the election on November 8:

That day, if it comes, is likely still months off. Two attorneys said prosecutors will take extreme steps to avoid the appearance of interfering with the midterms, and expected any announcements involving Gaetz would likely come several weeks after the November election.

The slow nature of the investigation has frustrated some who are cooperating with prosecutors, though they say they remain optimistic the delay will result in making sure Gaetz pays the price for his alleged crimes:

“We know for a fact that there are dozens of other actors who were involved in drug-fueled sex parties with underage girls and other criminal financial schemes. If at the end of the day only two or three people are held to account by the feds, that would be a real miscarriage of justice and transparency,” said David Bear, an Orlando attorney who has advised several people who would consider themselves victims of Greenberg’s abuse of power while in office.

 

After he was victorious on Tuesday, Gaetz told family and friends he expected to win in November and return to the House where he would be part of a group of “Republicans with a will to fight and a backbone.”

But even if he is re-elected, Gaetz is facing a “fight” that will take a hell of a lot more than backbone and fiery rhetoric to win.

 

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Donald Trump GOP

Matt Gaetz Knows He’s ‘Screwed’ Because Trump Refused To Pardon Him: Former FBI Official

On Saturday, we learned that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and longtime Trump protege Roger Stone discussed the matter of a presidential pardon which Stone later received. Gaetz, however, was left begging, meaning that the sexual trafficking investigation of him, along with his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, could potentially send him to prison for the next 20 years or longer.

And that, according to former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi, must have Gaetz facing the realization that he’s screwed. And Stone could be, too, if he’s tied to the Jan. 6 conspiracy.

Appearing on MSNBC, Figliuzzi noted:

“The larger ramifications here, you know, are hinted at with regard to Stone saying, I’m going to be counting on you and about a dozen others, right? A dozen others? Really? Who are going to lobby the president of the United States on a criminal’s behalf and try to get a pardon for themselves and for you, Roger? It’s a much larger conspiracy than I think even those of us who followed it every day could have imagined.”

Figliuzzi also made a comparison between Trump, his associates, and the mafia:

“You know, the Cosa Nostra, the Italian mafia, translates as, ‘this thing of ours.’ That’s all I keep hearing here. We’re all in this together. I’ve listened to court-authorized wiretaps of mobsters talking to each other and it sounds like this. There’s better food around, by the way, but it sounds just like this. And they’re part of a criminal enterprise, Nicolle. It’s a criminal organization. They know it. They know they’re screwed with regard to legality, and they know the only way out is for the boss to get them out of it.”

But “the boss” is no longer president and has no pardon power. That power, however, could be a major reason Trump wants to run again in 2024. He could pardon everyone who had anything to do with Jan. 6 and also avoid prosecution if he happens to be indicted. It’s a win-win situation for him.

Gaetz, however, does indeed appear to be screwed. And it couldn’t possibly happen to a more deserving person.