'A 10ft pole is not long enough': Matt Gaetz isolated in sex-trafficking scandal Donald Trump reportedly advised to keep quiet about ally Opinion: sleazy Matt Gaetz saga grows ever more disturbing https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/03/matt-gaetz-republican-sex-trafficking-scandal The Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz appears increasingly politically isolated amid a spiralling scandal over a federal sex-trafficking investigation. Even for Donald Trump, one Republican political operative said, “a 10ft pole is not long enough”. Federal prosecutors are reportedly examining whether Gaetz and a political ally facing sex trafficking allegations may have paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex. Few Republicans have rushed to offer any kind of support to Gaetz, a three-term conservative provocateur known for support of Trump, high-volume attacks, sometimes against those in his own party, and frequent media appearances. The Associated Press reported that several lawmakers and aides who spoke on condition of anonymity said Gaetz’s prospects for remaining in Congress were complicated by his unpopularity in his own party. The Daily Beast, meanwhile, reported that advisers were pleading with the former president to keep quiet. Trump was reported to have said the affair seemed “really bad”, though he also thought the allegations could be a “smear” against Gaetz. “I don’t hope for anybody to be guilty of anything but it sounds like [Gaetz has] got a lot of explaining to do,” Barry Bennett, a longtime Republican operative and former Trump adviser, told the website. “People underestimate Donald Trump’s political ear … For something like this, a 10ft pole is not long enough. The former president should stay as far away from this as possible.” Fox News has also stayed quiet. As Vox reported, the Gaetz affair was not mentioned on the rightwing network on Thursday, or on Friday until the news anchor Brett Baier covered the allegations on his evening show. Gaetz has been a familiar presence on Fox News, according to Mediate appearing on the channel 18 times in March. Shortly before news of the allegations against him broke, he was reported to be considering retiring from Congress in order to pursue a media career. Any such plans are now under threat. The scrutiny of Gaetz reportedly stems from a justice department investigation of Joel Greenberg, a former Florida tax collector indicted last year and accused of a number of federal crimes. He has pleaded not guilty. In addition, CNN has reported that Gaetz allegedly showed nude photos of women he slept with to colleagues on the floor of the House of Representatives. Republican leaders have largely been silent. But Gaetz’s spokesman, Luke Ball, has resigned. Part of the investigation is examining whether Gaetz, 38, had sex with a 17-year-old and other underage girls and violated federal sex trafficking laws, sources told the AP, adding that federal agents suspect Greenberg may have enticed the girls and introduced some to Gaetz. Investigators are reported to be examining whether the two men had sex with the same girls. Details of the investigation were first reported by the New York Times, which also said Gaetz took ecstasy, an illegal drug, before having sex. Gaetz has said: “No part of the allegations against me are true.” Among rare lawmakers to express support for Gaetz is the freshman Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, another rising figure propelled by media appearances and baseless conspiracy theories. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters the accusations against Gaetz were “serious”. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, told reporters: “If in fact these allegations are true, of course being removed from the Judiciary committee is the least that could be done. From what we’ve heard so far, this would be a matter for the ethics committee.” The investigation into Gaetz has been extant since at least summer 2020 and has reportedly reached the highest levels of the justice department. Investigators have interviewed several witnesses and have been scrutinizing travel and financial records. Greenberg was the elected tax collector in Seminole county near Orlando when he resigned last June after his arrest on charges including stalking a political opponent, trafficking a minor for sex and illegally using a state database to create fake drivers licenses and other ID cards. Since then, the case has ballooned to more than 30 charges, including wire fraud and charges involving efforts to divert at least $400,000 from the tax collectors office into cryptocurrency for Greenberg’s own use. Other charges accuse him attempting to fraudulently obtain coronavirus relief funds. The justice department has a separate investigation into the extortion allegations, the AP reported. Gaetz has said his family has been cooperating with the FBI.
Yep.Guetz was always one of the first people to defend Trump.It crickets from Trump when Matt need him though LOL!!!!
I thought Sugar Babies were a candy Matt loved! https://www.yahoo.com/news/website-finding-sugar-babies-matt-202740077.html
The real question we should be asking about Matt Gaetz: What kind of spectacular moron do you have to be to make an illicit payment for illegal activity on a fully traceable cash app? What Kind of Genius Makes a Traceable, Illicit Payment on Cash App? https://slate.com/technology/2021/04/matt-gaetz-cash-app-history.html (More at above url)
What about Andrew Cuomo and Joe Biden? Credible allegations by their ex-staff no less but, silence on our extreme liberal ET trolls? Don't you have any active brain cells left? LOLOLOLOL
Gaetz Bragged About ‘Access To Women’ Provided By Now Alleged Sex Trafficker https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...-women-provided-by-now-alleged-sex-traffickerhttps://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/...-women-provided-by-now-alleged-sex-trafficker Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was known in Florida politics for bragging about women he met through a county tax collector who has since been indicted on a federal sex trafficking charge, the Washington Post reported on Friday night. Two people who heard his comments directly told the Post that the Republican lawmaker also showed off mobile videos of naked or topless women on multiple occasions, including at parties with Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector who is facing the charge on sex trafficking a minor among other offenses. The women appeared to be adults, the people said. “Matt was never shy about talking about his relationship to Joel and the access to women that Joel provided him,” one of the people told the Post. “What these videos implied was that there was something of a sexual nature going on with everyone.” The comments come as the Justice Department examines whether Gaetz paid for sex with multiple women in violation of federal sex trafficking laws and whether he had sex with least one girl when she was 17 years old. The teenage girl, who allegedly had sex with Greenberg, is involved in the former tax collector’s sex trafficking charge, according to The New York Times. The Times said on Thursday that investigators are exploring whether Gaetz provided anything of material value to the 17-year-old in question. Gaetz is also suspected of making payments to other women for sex, the Time said. Messages and interviews conducted by the Times revealed that during encounters in 2019 and 2020, Gaetz and Greenberg often directed the women to meet at Florida hotels, and would tell them how much they were willing to pay. The ties between Gaetz and Greenberg are well-documented. Gaetz and Greenberg once posed for a photo at the White House and Gaetz has repeatedly tagging him on his Twitter account or retweeting posts with his name. According to CNN, early last year a witness also provided evidence to a local U.S. attorney that allegedly shows Gaetz and Greenberg on surveillance video, looking through driver licenses on a weekend evening at the tax collector’s office. Greenberg faces a separate charge for a fake ID scheme, in addition to a host of other charges. There is no indication that the IDs handled in the video were used unlawfully. Gaetz who got engaged in December, has repeatedly denied paying anyone for sex. The Florida Republican responded with a text message statement to the Post on Friday when contacted about the claims that he boasted about meeting women through Greenberg and showed people videos of naked women, among other allegations. “I have never paid for sex. I have never had sex with an underage person as an adult,” Gaetz wrote. “I have dated women in college and graduate school, and have boasted about how great they are across the board, as boyfriends do. At times women I have dated have joined me at campaign events.”