Thursday, April 01, 2021

Gaetz (Well-Known Among Colleagues To Love Alcohol, Illegal Drugs, And Young Women) Showed Lawmakers On House Floor Numerous Videos & Photos Of Nude Women He Claimed He Had Sex With; FBI Is (Reportedly) Aware Of Other Pictures Depicting Gaetz In "Sexual Orgy With Underage Prostitutes"; Gaetz Recruited Multiple Women Online And Paid Them For Sex, Shared Partners With His Close Associate (Indicted Last Year On Sex Trafficking Charges)

Jeremy Herb, Lauren Fox and Ryan Nobles, CNN, April 1, 2021:

Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican being investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations . . . gained a reputation in Congress over his relationships with women and bragging about his sexual escapades to his colleagues, multiple sources told CNN.

Gaetz allegedly showed off to other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women he said he had slept with, the sources told CNN, including while on the House floor. The sources, including two people directly shown the material, said Gaetz displayed the images of women on his phone and talked about having sex with them. One of the videos showed a naked woman with a hula hoop, according to one source.

"It was a point of pride," one of the sources said of Gaetz. . . .

Federal investigators are examining whether Gaetz engaged in a relationship with a woman that began when she was 17 years old and whether his involvement with other young women broke federal sex trafficking and prostitution laws . . .

[It appears crystal clear from the article below that Gaetz is guilty and deserves a long jail sentence (a conviction is 10 years minimum). This article includes numerous examples of Gaetz being a seditious, bullying, mocking, bribe-paying, douchebag fratboy asshole who publicly sided with child sex traffickers instead of the people trying to arrest and stop them.]

Katie Benner and Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, April 1, 2021:

A Justice Department investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz and an indicted Florida politician is focusing on their involvement with multiple women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments, according to people close to the investigation and text messages and payment receipts reviewed by The New York Times.

Investigators believe Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector in Seminole County, Fla., who was indicted last year on a federal sex trafficking charge and other crimes, initially met the women through websites that connect people who go on dates [and] Mr. Greenberg introduced the women to Mr. Gaetz, who also had sex with them, the people said.

One of the women who had sex with both men also agreed to have sex with an unidentified associate of theirs in Florida Republican politics, according to a person familiar with the arrangement. Mr. Greenberg had initially contacted her online and introduced her to Mr. Gaetz, the person said. . . .

The Justice Department inquiry is also examining whether Mr. Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl and whether she received anything of material value, according to four people familiar with the investigation. The sex trafficking count against Mr. Greenberg involved the same girl, according to two people briefed on the investigation.

The authorities have also investigated whether other men connected to Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg had sex with the 17-year-old, two of the people said. . . .

The Times has reviewed receipts from Cash App, a mobile payments app, and Apple Pay that show payments from Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Greenberg to one of the women, and a payment from Mr. Greenberg to a second woman. The women told their friends that the payments were for sex with the two men, according to two people familiar with the conversations. . . .

Some of the men and women took ecstasy, an illegal hallucinogenic drug, before having sex, including Mr. Gaetz, two people familiar with the encounters said.

In some cases, Mr. Gaetz asked women to help find others who might be interested in having sex with him and his friends, according to two people familiar with those conversations. . . .

The F.B.I. has questioned multiple women involved in the encounters, including as recently as January, to establish details of their relationships with Mr. Gaetz and his friends . . .

[I]f prosecutors think they can prove that the payments to the women were for sex, they could accuse Mr. Gaetz of trafficking the women under "force, fraud or coercion." For example, prosecutors have filed trafficking charges against people suspected of providing drugs in exchange for sex because feeding another person's drug habit could be seen as a form of coercion.

It is also a violation of federal child sex trafficking law to provide someone under 18 with anything of value in exchange for sex, which can include meals, hotels, drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. A conviction carries a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.

Emily Brooks and Joseph Simonson, Washington Examiner, March 31, 2021:

[A document given to Gaetz] states that Gaetz is "under investigation by the FBI for various public corruption and public integrity issues" and alleges that the FBI is aware of photos depicting Gaetz in a "sexual orgy with underage prostitutes." . . .

The 17-year-old in question "doesn't exist," Gaetz said, adding that he has "not had a relationship with a 17-year-old. That is totally false."

Matt Fuller and Sam Brodey, The Daily Beast, April 1, 2021:

Gaetz—the Trump-loving, Fox News-grinning, 38-year-old Florida Republican—has a less-than-sterling reputation among his congressional colleagues. More than a half-dozen lawmakers have spoken to these reporters about his love of alcohol and illegal drugs, as well as his proclivity for younger women. It's well-known among Republican lawmakers that Gaetz was dating a college student—one over the age of consent—in 2018.

Matt Fuller, Senior Politics Editor, The Daily Beast:

Members loves to talk about Matt Gaetz, because no one really likes Matt Gaetz. He doesn't have many friends on Capitol Hill. And I'm primarily talking about Republicans.

 Trump Aides TRASH Matt Gaetz in Leaked Texts

Business Insider:

Matt Gaetz has a reputation as a showboat among his GOP colleagues in Washington.

Many of them were gloating about news reports that he is under a DOJ investigation.

Congressional staffers and former Trump White House aides say they'll be happy to see him go. . . .

The Department of Justice is investigating whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and violated federal laws against sex trafficking in the process, The New York Times reported Tuesday. . . .

This account is based on interviews with 18 current and former GOP and White House sources.

One former senior Trump White House aide was on multiple text chains with former colleagues gossiping about the deluge of news about Gaetz's legal predicament. 

The former Trump aides aren't necessarily happy to see the three-term lawmaker in trouble, but they "feel a little vindicated," the former White House staffer told Insider. "He's the meanest person in politics." . . .

"Republican leadership will likely watch him completely implode in a matter of days without having to do a thing," the observer told Insider. Stripping him of committee assignments or taking other punitive steps "would require more action from the Justice Department," they added. . . .

"Good riddance," another former Trump White House aide said. "It sounds like he let whatever BS power he thought he had go to his head and he thought himself above the law." . . .

People found guilty of these crimes could face at least 10 years in jail or get a life sentence.


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Gaetz Probe Started With An Associate Awaiting Trial On Federal Sex Trafficking, Stalking Charges

The Even Weirder Backstory Behind Bizarre Gaetz Sex Trafficking Investigation Story

EVERYTHING We Know About Underage Sex Trafficking Investigation Against Matt Gaetz

Joyce Vance: Gaetz Looked Like Someone Who Desperately Needs A Lawyer On Fox News

Former Federal Prosecutor Says Rep. Gaetz 'Grasping At Straws' Amid DOJ Probe

Fmr. Federal Prosecutor: "Wisdom Is Not Driving The Day For Matt Gaetz"

Looking Back At Matt Gaetz's Controversial Track Record

"We thought it would be worth reminding you who Matt Gaetz was before he was an accused child sex trafficker. Because this guy is really something." (Mehdi Hasan, All in With Chris Hayes, March 31, 2021)

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1 comment:

laura k said...

A reminder: "underage prostitutes" = children. Which means "sexual orgy" = rape.

Friday, April 02, 2021 8:21:00 AM

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