If I had to make sense of it, he bopped a young un who turned out to be 17 at the time.

But I think it's a set up. He should get some advice from Swalwell.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
We really do not know what goes on in people's heads. What seems very clear is that he needs to get a spokesperson to deal with the media. He is making the situation worse by the minute.

What facts and/or actions by Gaetz are making the situation worse by the minute? Details please...

Seriously, the moment he gets a 'spokesperson' (likely an attorney anyway), he'll be 'guilty as charged' and the victim of a widespread political/media lynching!

quote:

What facts and/or actions by Gaetz are making the situation worse by the minute? Details please...

^^^^^^^^^^
Tucker Carlson interview for starters.
Defending yourself in the media is a fool's game.

^^^Details, what specifically??? I watched the interview, in which Tucker indicated was arranged last minute re: breaking news, and in response to a report in the NYT. Seems to me that Gaetz was punching back, similar to the way DJT might do in response to salacious allegations, especially if it involved the actions of corrupt present & former operatives of the .gov!

Defending yourself in the media worked for Trump! Not defending yourself NEVER Ever worked for George W Bush, or any other Republican/conservative for that matter. Would you have Gaetz stay quiet and go into hiding....He'd be lambasted for not denying the accusation!

Seriously, if it's a lose/lose scenario, the best defense is always a good offense!

quote:

Seriously, if it's a lose/lose scenario, the best defense is always a good offense!

^^^^^^^^^
Maybe maybe not. In any regard he desperately needs a smooth wordsmith. Dershowitz {whom I am not suggesting} was always very good at this. Gaetz lacks those skills. The goal should be to make it go away and get it off the front page. It is not a matter of going into hiding but putting forth an intelligent reasoned response.

He was always over the top for my taste. He loved the cameras and shock value.

Multiple Congressmen are saying he would show pictures and videos of his sexual conquests. That’s creepy in itself.

It’s said the the Feds have receipts of how he paid.

Greenberg has been indicted with an under aged young lady and Gaetz had sex with same person. The Feds find that he would go to an ATM in the hotel to pull money to pay the girls (yes girls - it’s said it was multiples).

As for a lefty setup - this investigation was approved by Barr. Barr was said to cancel attending a meeting because Gaetz rsvp-ed.

Lastly, he needs to shut up. Him mentioning an open investigation that his father was wearing a wire could put him in jeopardy of being charged with obstructing of justice.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politi...ng-stalking-n1262678

A sex trafficking investigation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., began with an inquiry into an associate of his who's awaiting trial on trafficking, stalking and identity fraud charges.

The associate, Joel Micah Greenberg — who Gaetz once suggested should run for Congress in Florida — was charged with additional counts Wednesday stemming from his three years as an elected county tax official.

"Greenberg used his position as Seminole County Tax Collector to engage in, and facilitate, the commission of federal offenses, including sex trafficking of a child, illegally obtaining personal information from a motor vehicle record ... illegally producing identification and false identification documents, aggravated identity theft, wire fraud and money laundering," federal prosecutors said in the newly unsealed third superseding indictment.

Greenberg has pleaded not guilty to the trafficking, stalking and identity fraud charges, and he is scheduled to be arraigned on the wire fraud and money laundering charges next week.

"Right now we're preparing for the upcoming trial date in June. Joel maintains his innocence and has previously pleaded not guilty," said Fritz Scheller, Greenberg's attorney.

Law enforcement officials confirmed to NBC News that the investigation of Gaetz, who has not been charged, originated from the investigation of Greenberg, which has taken numerous turns since he was arrested in June over allegations that he slimed a rival candidate for tax collector.

Gaetz denied any wrongdoing in a statement Tuesday night and again during an interview with Fox News. "No part of the allegations against me are true," he said.

Greenberg and Gaetz, both Republicans, were elected in 2016. The extent of their relationship is unclear. The Orlando Sentinel said Greenberg had described Gaetz to former employees as a close friend who would often visit his house.

Gaetz posted a picture of himself on Facebook at dinner with Greenberg and former Trump adviser Roger Stone in 2017 and referred to Greenberg as a "2nd Amendment champion."

In 2019, Greenberg tweeted a picture of himself and Gaetz in front of the White House. Greenberg tweeted a picture of his young daughter with Gaetz, President Donald Trump and Melania Trump the same day.

Gaetz donated $1,000 to Greenberg's re-election effort in June, and he said in 2017 that Greenberg would be a great candidate for Congress because he had taken the tax collector's office "by storm."

"He's been a disruptor," Gaetz told WFLA radio of Tampa.

Greenberg's tenure was turbulent. There were calls for him to resign from his $150,000-a-year post in 2018 after a derogatory social media post about Muslims, and a Muslim employee later settled a discrimination suit against him.

He was accused of misusing his authority by pulling over a woman for speeding and flashing his tax collector's badge as if he were a police officer in December 2017. Prosecutors said he didn't break any laws, but they described his actions as inappropriate.

A month after that incident, he tried unsuccessfully to use his position to get out of a speeding ticket in an exchange that was recorded by a police body camera.

He also authorized some of his staffers to carry guns — a directive that was overruled by the state's attorney general at the time, Pam Bondi.

A 2019 Orlando Sentinel investigation showed that his office had doled out over $3 million in contracts to business partners, associates, family friends and at least a half-dozen people who had attended his wedding. An audit later found that he had misspent over $5 million in taxpayer money during his three years in office, including $384,000 on body armor, weapons, ammunition and a drone with thermal imaging capabilities, according to Spectrum News 13 of Orlando. He also created a security force that was later dissolved, the audit said.

He made headlines again last April, when he used Twitter to urge people to rebel against pandemic-related restrictions. "Time to disobey the orders," he wrote. He said a month later that he had contracted the coronavirus.

He resigned in June after he was arrested and accused of using phony identities to smear a teacher who was challenging his re-election bid.

Greenberg "caused a Twitter account to be set up using the name and photograph of the school employee" and then "caused postings to be made using that account that represented that the school employee was a segregationist and in favor of white supremacy," prosecutors said in court filings.

He also posed online as teacher and a student at the school where the person worked to accuse the person of having engaged in "sexual misconduct with a student," and he sent letters to the school, as well, prosecutors said.

Investigators said that when he was arrested, they found several fake IDs that he had created using his job's access to the state motor vehicle database. Prosecutors said Greenberg, the married father of two, also used the database to look up information about women he was "involved in 'sugar daddy' relationships with."

Greenberg also used the information to produce phony driver's licenses for himself and a girl who was over 14 but under 18, investigators said. Prosecutors said that's the girl he "did knowingly ... recruit, entice, obtain, maintain, patronize and solicit" between May 2017 to November 2017. His attorney at the time, Vincent Citro, told the Sentinel, "We absolutely deny the allegations."

The new charges unsealed Wednesday include allegations that he embezzled over $400,000 from the tax collector's office "to benefit himself personally." The indictment charges that Greenberg used funds from the office to buy personal items for himself, including "autographed Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant memorabilia."

Greenberg had been out on bond after his arrest, but he was ordered locked up on March 3 for violating the terms of his curfew, court records show. The Sentinel reported that he had driven to his mother-in-law's condo looking for his wife

Jimmy Gurulé, a University of Notre Dame law professor and former federal prosecutor, said there is no advantage for a suspect to mount his defense in public, when statements could be incriminating, provide law enforcement with new leads or later be found false. A defense lawyer could provide arguments behind the scenes, he said.

“If Gaetz is trying to somehow trying to sway public opinion in his favor, which appears to be the case here, I think it comes at a very high price,” Gurulé said. “There is a substantial downside and incredible risk. I think it’s his ego that is driving his conduct at this point and it’s very dangerous

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Jimmy Gurulé, a University of Notre Dame law professor and former federal prosecutor, said there is no advantage for a suspect to mount his defense in public, when statements could be incriminating, provide law enforcement with new leads or later be found false. A defense lawyer could provide arguments behind the scenes, he said.

“If Gaetz is trying to somehow trying to sway public opinion in his favor, which appears to be the case here, I think it comes at a very high price,” Gurulé said. “There is a substantial downside and incredible risk. I think it’s his ego that is driving his conduct at this point and it’s very dangerous

This. The more a suspect, guilty or innocent, says in public the more likely they are to add fuel to the fire, so to speak. Particularly in unscripted situations.

"An early morning report on Friday (April 2) said that Gaetz sought out women online for sex and paid them in various ways and the publication saw some of the text messages and recipients of the money exchanges."

"Gaetz has denied ever paying a woman for sex but the receipts show payments from Cash App and Apple Pay to at least three women, while payment from cash from ATM hotels was also examined. Gaetz and the other suspected men in this scandal were said to have ingested ecstasy before engaging in sexual activities."

So maybe Gaetz can re-brand himself as a "fiscally responsible" Congressman, who always pays his bills on time and in full. He should have a news conference and show off the receipts, demonstrating his fiscal responsibility.

Well we all pay for sex...maybe not in traditional currencies...but we pay...

Since Gaetz has an "R" after his name this will be a major story...if only to take the heat off the hyperbole going on wrt the Georgia Voting law, the Border Situation, Russia tee'ing up Ukraine as an appetizer...

Not sure what he did, or didn’t do. One in his position has to be ready for any number of setups. If not defensive about such, bad head work.

Yes, don’t allow your head to get beyond ability to handle.

If true the behavior is at least sleazy, but who knows it could just be a smear campaign. At least he is not married. I don't see anywhere the location the alleged sex with a 17 year old occurred. Age of consent is 18 in Florida, but is 16 or 17 in many other states. It remains to be seen if they have the goods on him, I am hoping not.

Knowing what I know now--which is more than when I started this thread, thanks to you commenters--I am glad other GOP leaders are keeping hands off rather than blindly siding with Gaetz.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
If true the behavior is at least sleazy, but who knows it could just be a smear campaign. At least he is not married. I don't see anywhere the location the alleged sex with a 17 year old occurred. Age of consent is 18 in Florida, but is 16 or 17 in many other states. It remains to be seen if they have the goods on him, I am hoping not.

I'm pretty sure local laws don't matter in a federal investigation.

quote:

Originally posted by HayesGreener:
If true the behavior is at least sleazy, but who knows it could just be a smear campaign. At least he is not married. I don't see anywhere the location the alleged sex with a 17 year old occurred. Age of consent is 18 in Florida, but is 16 or 17 in many other states. It remains to be seen if they have the goods on him, I am hoping not.

It will not matter. If it happened with a Florida resident who went to another state just so it could "legally" happen, that is explicitly illegal at the federal level for precisely that reason.

quote:

It will not matter. If it happened with a Florida resident who went to another state just so it could "legally" happen, that is explicitly illegal at the federal level for precisely that reason.

That doesn't make any sense.

Some states require that you be 21 to gamble in a casino. Some states require you to be 18.

Are you telling us that if a 19 year old leaves his state (that requires you to be 21) to travel to a state that requires you to be 18, that he/she is violating federal law?

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

It will not matter. If it happened with a Florida resident who went to another state just so it could "legally" happen, that is explicitly illegal at the federal level for precisely that reason.

That doesn't make any sense.

Some states require that you be 21 to gamble in a casino. Some states require you to be 18.

Are you telling us that if a 19 year old leaves his state (that requires you to be 21) to travel to a state that requires you to be 18, that he/she is violating federal law?

IANAL, but I believe taking somebody to another state so they may legally gamble, drink, or whatever is not the same as transporting them across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. See: 18 U.S. Code § 2423 - Transportation of minors

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

It will not matter. If it happened with a Florida resident who went to another state just so it could "legally" happen, that is explicitly illegal at the federal level for precisely that reason.

That doesn't make any sense.

Some states require that you be 21 to gamble in a casino. Some states require you to be 18.

Are you telling us that if a 19 year old leaves his state (that requires you to be 21) to travel to a state that requires you to be 18, that he/she is violating federal law?

IANAL, but I believe taking somebody to another state so they may legally gamble, drink, or whatever is not the same as transporting them across state lines for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. See: 18 U.S. Code § 2423 - Transportation of minors

Wasn't that the Mann Act? That put Jack Johnson in jail?

I'm going to wait for the trial to be over before I hang him.