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Another Republican lawmaker stated that accusations are not surprising. “Everyone already knew Gaetz was a ticking time bomb and his days in the House were numbered, but this story is more bizarre than expected,” the lawmaker said.

Other Republicans in Congress criticized Gaetz’s appearance with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in which he denied the allegations and explained that a member of the Justice Department was attempting to extort him.

“I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine — you’ll remember her — and she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn’t cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme, that could face trouble,” Gaetz said. “So I do believe there are people at the Department of Justice that are trying to smear me. Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you’re dating who are of legal age is not a crime.”

“His bizarre display on Tucker is an attempt to muddy the issues,” another lawmaker said.

Gaetz has been known for his vocal support of Trump and his theatrics in Congress and elsewhere. It is a quality that has annoyed some of his colleagues who are likely the establishment types. However, some on the right have made an interesting observation: The Trump camp has not spoken up about the story.
[snip]

Since news of the investigation surfaced on Tuesday, other facts have emerged giving more details about the story. RedState’s Bonchie reported that on Wednesday, Gaetz’s father, a former Florida state senator, provided an email showing that he was working with the FBI on an investigation regarding the allegations that a member of the Justice Department was trying to extort Gaetz.

So far, we’ve seen no evidence proving that Gaetz is guilty of any inappropriate activity with a minor. But to make things even weirder, it appears there may be indications that the representative’s claims of extortion might be accurate. His father stated that two men approached him after learning about the federal investigation stating that if the elder Gaetz give money to fund an effort to locate Robert A. Levinson, an American who was held hostage In Iran, they would do something about the younger Gaetz’s legal problems.

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Originally posted by doublesharp:
trying to take the news cycle heat off killer Coumo

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But it's worth noting that this investigation began under Trump's justice department, not Biden's.

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It seems Gaetz is under investigation by the FBI for traveling with a 17-year-old and presumably for paying for sexual favors, hence the “sex trafficking” theme.

Gaetz denied this person existed, but...

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Originally posted by cne32507:
My opinion of Gaetz? Well, just remember that we (1st Congressional District) were fooled by Joe Scarborough and elected him to Congress.