Sex in the Sewer; As Good as it Gaetz
Holy moly. The GOP’s bad boy on Capitol Hill, Florida Congressman Matthew Gaetz, is mired in a scandal of epic proportions, and it looks like there’s more to come.
It’s not like he came to Washington with a spotless record. What’s mattered to Republicans has been his standing as a staunch defender of Dear Leader. After Gaetz led the charge into a secure room in the House where depositions were taking place during the first impeachment inquiry, he was essentially immune to criticism.
There are already accounts of his highly privileged formative years revealing a life of drunken debauchery and DUI, along with allegations that he created a “sex game” (with points for sleeping with staff) while serving in the Florida legislature.
Then there’s the the fake “adoption” of a Cuban boy, tweets about sex, and, upon learning he was under investigation, a sudden engagement to a woman who lives on the West Coast and calls him her “travel buddy.”
It’s safe to say the guy really thinks he’s above the law based on his behavior. It’s also safe to say he’s not so smart. Once word of his troubles made the news, anonymous sources among his colleagues began leaking tales about the Florida Congressman sharing nude photos and videos of his “girlfriends” while on the floor of the House of Representatives..
Gaetz finally hired legal counsel yesterday after news reports claimed that his best buddy/wingman Joel Greenberg is in the process of negotiating a deal with prosecutors.
He’s now hired a public relations firm, whose efforts include sending threatening letters to reporters and an unsigned statement from women working for the Congressman saying he’s always behaved nicely.
The investigation into Gaetz first spiraled from a probe into Greenberg, who was indicted last summer on 14 felony charges including child sex trafficking, fraud, identity theft and stalking a former political rival.
What’s been alleged coming out investigations dating back to Bill Barr’s days at the Department of Justice thus far:
Gaetz was involved with multiple women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments. One of those women was reportedly under the legal age of consent.
His arrest is said to be imminent after the alleged victim, who has not been named, testified before a Florida grand jury saying she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18,
Her name was reportedly included in the memo portion of a (public! -he hadn't turned on his privacy protections)) $900 Gaetz Venmo transaction preceding Greenberg forwarding the same amount to 3 young women.
Federal investigators are looking into whether any federal campaign money was involved in paying for travel and expenses for the women.
In some cases, investigators believe the Congressman asked women to help find others who might be interested in having sex with him and his friends.
Gaetz, along with Jason Pirozzolo, an Orlando-based surgeon who has raised funds for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, flew a group of women to the Bahamas. The FBI suspects they were compensated and given drugs in return for sexual acts.
The congressman and a Florida lobbyist may have been involved with setting up a ghost candidate to dilute opposition to an associate running for an open State Senate seat.
Information has emerged that may connect Gaetz to a fake ID scheme at the center of the case against Greenberg
https://twitter.com/JakeLobin/status/1380530988158222336?s=20
One measure of just how bad this situation must be can be made by looking at Fox News’ reaction --or lack thereof.
Sean Hannity, who had Congressman Gaetz as a guest on his show more than one hundred twenty times, hasn’t had much to say about the scandal.
At a Pensacola campaign event in 2018, Gaetz told supporters, "Sean Hannity gives me a platform almost every night to get out there and tell it like it is. And I thank him for that."
Hannity’s big news last night was what he purported to be portions of a blurred out sex tape involving Hunter Biden.
Tucker Carlson interviewed Gaetz early on, only to have the Congressman try to drag him into the story.
From CNN:
The Florida lawmaker first referenced a previous allegation of sexual misconduct against Carlson, which the Fox News host has denied, saying that he was "not the only person on screen right now who's been falsely accused of a terrible sex act..."
Then, and more interestingly, Gaetz suggested Carlson had met a woman involved in the recent controversy related to the sex allegations. Gaetz said that woman was threatened by the FBI to tell people he was involved in a "pay to play scheme..."
"...You and I went to dinner about two years ago," Gaetz told Carlson. "Your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you'll remember her."
Carlson immediately denied knowledge of the dinner.
Former Congress member Katie Hill, who resigned in the wake of her ex-husband leaking nude photos, was needless to say, unhappy with how Gaetz is being treated.
From The Hill:
“He should resign immediately,” Hill said. “The Ethics Committee should open an investigation immediately and for some reason they haven’t, when they opened one on me based on a tweet or a Facebook post from my bitter ex-husband.”
Hill added that she believes there is a double standard between how women and men are treated during accusations.
“It is horrifying that this is the reality we are looking at for women who are running for office as compared to men who, honestly, Gaetz could probably get indicted and run for reelection and still win,” Hill said.
And it’s true. Gaetz probably would win reelection based on his bonafides as a supporter of the Former President, who, by the way, says it’s not true that he was asked for a blanket pardon late last year.
Here’s Danielle Campoamor at Refinery29 on just how crummy this is:
In 2021, a woman deciding to engage in consensual sexual activity is somehow a mark against her morality, but a man sharing images of women without their consent on the House floor is not grounds for his immediate removal from office or resignation. (Gaetz has denied all allegations and has said he will not resign, and there have been no calls from leading members of the Republican Party for him to resign.) In 2021, a woman agreeing to taking private nude or explicit photos that are then used against her is insight into her character, but a man sharing those images is still invited to speak at a conservative women’s rally as a “fearless leader.”
The hypocrisy would be laughable if it weren’t horrendously cruel or indicative of the way women’s bodies and their sexuality is weaponized against them while simultaneously used by men as shameless fodder to boost their egos. The argument that revenge porn is protected under “free speech” and necessary in order to decipher the characters of women, is just another painful instance of how sexuality is used against women to boost the public perceptions of men.
Power corrupts. And it’s not a partisan thing necessarily, as anybody who was around during Mayor Filner’s term can tell you.
Matt Gaetz is a sleazebag. The fact of his allegiance to a particular politician shouldn’t stand in the way of his having to face the music. Unfortunately, this is where we’re at in the U.S. of A. these days.
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Almost as disgusting as Matt Gaetz….
https://twitter.com/revrrlewis/status/1380479641551581186?s=20
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