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Matt Gaetz Under Investigation for Sex Trafficking (1 Viewer)

Dinsy Ejotuz

Footballguy
Headline says it all.

Citing three people briefed on the matter, the Times reports that Justice Department investigators are looking into whether Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him.

Former Seminole Tax Collector Joel Greenberg (far right) smiles while taking a picture with political operative Roger Stone (left) and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in a photo posted on Twitter by Greenberg on July 8, 2017.

The probe of Gaetz reportedly stemmed from the investigation of Greenberg, who faces a slew of charges including sex trafficking of a child. He is currently slated to stand trial in June.

The Times report notes that many details of the Gaetz probe remain unclear, including how the congressman allegedly met the girl. The encounters under investigation occurred about two years ago and the investigation began in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney General William P. Barr, the report states.
Of note, Gaetz was the lone vote against a House bill on a human trafficking.

 
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I'm not a criminal defense attorney, but general understanding of the situation is that most defense lawyers would advise their clients not to tweet about the crimes of which they've been accused on social media.  And yet, this person is now all over my TL.  That seems ill-advised, but what the heck I can use the entertainment. 

 
Didn't he have a live-in son-that's-not-really-a-son or something too?  Thinking I saw something on that recently as well.

ETA: Yep

 
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Didn't he have a live-in son-that's-not-really-a-son or something too?  Thinking I saw something on that recently as well.
Yeah, there's that.  He claimed his ex-girlfriend's brother was his son in order to prove that he wasn't racist.

 
Headline says it all.

Of note, Gaetz was the lone vote against a House bill on a human trafficking.


Direct Headline: Matt Gaetz Says Ex-DOJ Employee Tried to Extort Him for $25 Million With Sexual Misconduct Allegations

By Daniel Villarreal On 3/30/21 at 7:10 PM EDT

https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-says-ex-doj-employee-tried-extort-him-25-million-sexual-misconduct-allegations-1579975

Direct Headline: Matt Gaetz claims he is victim of $25m extortion scam amid allegations of sexual activity with girl, 17

GOP congressman has denied allegations tied to probe involving another Florida official indicted on trafficking charges

Alex Woodward 3/30/21

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/matt-gaetz-sex-trafficking-investigation-b1824710.html

Direct Headline: Rep. Matt Gaetz claims the DOJ's investigation into whether he violated sex trafficking laws is part of 'an organized criminal extortion' scheme against him

Sonam Sheth 3/30/21

https://www.businessinsider.com/gaetz-tweets-response-doj-investigation-sex-trafficking-criminal-extortion-2021-3

******

I'm not a fan of Gaetz personally. He is effective in the role he's chosen for his political career, basically an enforcer for the hardline Party old guard rhetoric. See Doug Collins for an example of an enforcer type who is far less skilled at it.

Gaetz has no reason to lie about the FBI running a current investigation against his accuser(s) that predates this allegation against him.

If he didn't do it, he has a natural counter narrative.

If he did do it, he had the foresight to get in front of a scandal.

This counter narrative buys him time. And in a game where the first headline, and the first wave of perception kills, that can and might save him here.

 
https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1377030477257773065?s=21

Looks like Gaetz has come out with a quick defense. 
Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name. We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter.. ...and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals. The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets......of the ongoing extortion investigation. I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.

Well, I'll tell you what, that is not a canned, stock answer.  

If there's truth to his story, this is some crazy stuff.  

 
Also of note, Matt Gaetz announced this morning that he might be leaving Congress to spend more time with his family go to Newsmax.

Maybe he got Newsmax confused with Supermax?

 
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If he didn't do it, he has a natural counter narrative.

If he did do it, he had the foresight to get in front of a scandal.

This counter narrative buys him time. And in a game where the first headline, and the first wave of perception kills, that can and might save him here.
This feels like he's getting control of the narrative to you?

Gotta tell you, political Twitter is wondering if he's exposing investigations, and endangering family members.  

This doesn't look like genius PR from where I'm sitting. 

 
At the risk of being branded a pedo, I don't find the accusation of paying for the travel of a 17-year-old that he's sexing to be a terribly compelling transgression even if true.

 
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Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name. We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter.. ...and my father has even been wearing a wire at the FBI’s direction to catch these criminals. The planted leak to the FBI tonight was intended to thwart that investigation. No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets......of the ongoing extortion investigation. I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.

Well, I'll tell you what, that is not a canned, stock answer.  

If there's truth to his story, this is some crazy stuff.  
That's nuts.  Definitely going to wait for something more than insinuations to draw any conclusions here.

 
At the risk of being branded a pedo, I don't find the accusation of paying for the travel of a 17-year-old that he's sexing to be a terribly compelling transgression even if true.
Most 17 year olds in this country have sexual agency and 17 is a long, long way from prepubescent.  It's the traveling over state lines that's likely at issue, if there is an issue. 

 
https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1377030477257773065?s=21
 

Looks like Gaetz has come out with a quick defense. Not sure what to think yet but something tells me announcing to the whole world that your dad is wearing a wire probably isn’t the greatest idea. 


Direct Headline: #LGBTQ: Matt Gaetz Says, Referring to Rumors, “I’m Not Gay” & Is Upset That “The New Woke is Mean”

By Trey Speegle on June 23, 2020 11:42 am

https://worldofwonder.net/lgbtq-matt-gaetz-says-referring-to-rumors-im-not-gay-is-upset-that-the-new-woke-is-mean/

Direct Headline: Liz Cheney Aide Gay-Baits Matt Gaetz With Makeup Remark

As the two Republicans feud over Trump's second impeachment, Cheney's aide tells Gaetz, "In Wyoming, the men don't wear makeup."

By Trudy Ring January 26 2021 2:53 PM EST

https://www.advocate.com/politics/2021/1/26/liz-cheney-aide-gay-baits-matt-gaetz-makeup-remark

Direct Headline: Liz Cheney spokesperson mocks Matt Gaetz for carrying a beauty bag: ‘Men don’t wear makeup’

Josh Milton January 26, 2021

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/01/26/matt-gaetz-gay-liz-cheney-spokesperson-beauty-bag-wyoming-makeup/

Direct Headline: Why Is Matt Gaetz Defending Katie Hill?

One of the GOP’s most notorious trolls speaks up for a Democrat who was forced to resign.

Stephanie Mencimer November 1, 2019

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/why-is-matt-gaetz-defending-katie-hill/

******

This is a tactical and smart media move by Gaetz and his media staff. Now if Gaetz is actually guilty of these charges, clearly he's a criminal and an idiot. Or he could be innocent and being targeted for being a high profile "name brand" Republican that is associated with being a stalking horse for Donald Trump in Congress. You can be innocent or you can be guilty, and still make the "right move" in regards to media optics.

Saying nothing assigns guilt to Gaetz. Even if he's innocent. Or not. This is a battle in the court of public opinion. One of the problems that the DNC is going to have here, is this hit and run style attack starts to float wrong with their previous drive-by style free fire shots at Gaetz. The backdoor media narrative ( that's not trying to make a double entendre here) is that Matt Gaetz is actually gay and is ashamed of it. The LGBT vote had a 93 percent turn out rate of registered voters in that last cycle, which is unheard of for modern politics. 25 percent were first time voters. It also gave/resecured Obama/Biden/Harris a large section of the entertainment/Hollywood industry, which is a money printing machine for the DNC. It's a fast and sometimes effective way to smear someone with ad hominem in any other media op in which they are involved. Gaetz was front and center of the battle for Trump Vs Accusations Of Russia Influence On The 2016 Election. Disparage Gaetz as a person and you will cause some casual voters to associate every defense he says for Trump in those hearings as a lie.

The problem is that you can't have it both ways. Either Matt Gaetz is gay and ashamed of it, which is one backdoor media narrative used by the left and RINO Liz Cheney, or he's heterosexual and sodomized a 17 year old girl, which is a more direct attack. Which one?

The DNC has given Gaetz a natural escape hatch if he is actually guilty. He can just say he's gay. And that this is not true. Or even that he's bi-sexual. And that this is not true. The left leaning MSM would then see a wide spread attack on their corporate sponsor base by Conservatives if there is still a deep hunt for Gaetz after that. The left leaning MSM will not hate Gaetz more than they love money and want to avoid the anger of stockholders who just look at the bottom line.

Identity politics makes being LGBT a shield that easily converts to a battering ram. But it works both ways, it works on both sides of the aisle.

Someone will say, Liz Cheney didn't say that, her spokesperson said that. In the world of "The First Headline Kills" and "Truth Is Irrelevant, Perception Kills", that doesn't actually matter. Liz Cheney, a clear RINO, will be then forever linked to saying men shouldn't wear makeup. Now the DNC has to face losing part of that first time LGBT vote over all this.

 
If I'm following you...

  • For some reason you think Liz Cheney is relevant to the possible sex trafficking investigation against Gaetz.
  • Liz Cheney's spokesperson said some homophobic things about Matt Gaetz months ago.
  • You actually do understand Liz Cheney is a Republican.
  • But "the DNC" is going to lose votes over this.
Is that it?

 
Someone will say, Liz Cheney didn't say that, her spokesperson said that. In the world of "The First Headline Kills" and "Truth Is Irrelevant, Perception Kills", that doesn't actually matter. Liz Cheney, a clear RINO, will be then forever linked to saying men shouldn't wear makeup. Now the DNC has to face losing part of that first time LGBT vote over all this.
Democrats will lose part of the LGBT vote because of Matt Gaetz? That is one of the most laughable things I have seen in a long time. 

 
At the risk of being branded a pedo, I don't find the accusation of paying for the travel of a 17-year-old that he's sexing to be a terribly compelling transgression even if true.
Most 17 year olds in this country have sexual agency and 17 is a long, long way from prepubescent.  It's the traveling over state lines that's likely at issue, if there is an issue. 
Paying for your 17 year old girlfriend's plane ticket to travel with you is not really what I'd normally consider to be "sex trafficking."  Its a bit unsavory perhaps, but doesn't seem like criminal conduct to me.  But if the headline is referring to some other involvement he's had with this Greenberg fellow, that's a different ball of wax.

 
I'm not clear what you're arguing.  That Axios made the story up?  That the sources in the story are making it up?  Or that it's not a story until Gaetz himself announces it?
I’m arguing that underage girl story is bs until proven otherwise since from unnamed sources.   You link a story about rumors of him not running for Re-election.  Yeah unnamed are worthless.  FYI Gaetz announced 10 minutes ago that fbi and DOL have tapes of an extortion plot.  

Can I make up unsourced allegations about you now?  Would that be fair?

 
At the risk of being branded a pedo, I don't find the accusation of paying for the travel of a 17-year-old that he's sexing to be a terribly compelling transgression even if true.
At worst you'd be branded a hebephile. More accurately you'd be branded an ephebophile.  

Come on, FBGs, we've been over this... :coffee:  

 
Paying for your 17 year old girlfriend's plane ticket to travel with you is not really what I'd normally consider to be "sex trafficking."  Its a bit unsavory perhaps, but doesn't seem like criminal conduct to me.  But if the headline is referring to some other involvement he's had with this Greenberg fellow, that's a different ball of wax.
"Trafficking" is often very broadly defined in statutes and caselaw. 

 
🤔

"The encounters allegedly occurred about two years ago and the investigation began in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney General William P. Barr, the report said."
Please provide link with named sources.  

 

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