Did Matt Gaetz have sex with a 17-year old? Or is the victim of an extortion plot?

trollism wrote:

Not CNN wrote:

It's the NY Times and a very vague article.

He very well may be guilty, but I will not believe a word until the "story" is verified. I have been lied to on a daily basis by Lame Stream Media. You probably believe moving the All Star game to Colorado makes sense and the GA Voting Laws are Jim Crow 2.0!

So you're saying they're possibly making up quotes from Gaetz's own spokesperson?

Even Trump is distancing himself from the guy, stop the worship, get some common sense.

I'm saying I have not read anything with specifics.

Forget about anything else, just look at what Gaetz himself has admitted:

1. He is being investigated by the DOJ, and somehow the money he has spent on "ex-girlfriends" is relevant to this investigation. He has denied sleeping with 17 year olds, but admits he is not a monk.

2. There is or was some scheme to free an American being held by Iran, and Gaetz and/or his father were approached to bankroll the scheme. Gaetz claims that the people behind the scheme promised to make the DOJ investigation go away if the money for the scheme came through.

3. Gaetz asked Trump for a blanket, pre-emptive pardon.

Yeah, I'm curious to see what exactly is and is not true in all this, but it sure does not look good for Gaetz. His association with Greenberg, the fact that they were both in the government office late on a Saturday night doing something with expired drivers' licenses, and his generally creepy behavior suggest that him sleeping with and/or trafficking underage girls might actually have happened. And setting aside his politics, his whole vibe of being an entitled but not especially bright rich kid doesn't help him at all.

I don't really get his claim of extortion, which has been denied by McGee who has threatened to sue Gaetz for defamation/libel. Extortion is generally when someone demands money in exchange for not doing something bad to you. Like if someone had approached Gaetz and said that they had incriminating photos of Gaetz and would send them to the press and/or the DOJ unless he paid $25 million. But here, Gaetz says it's the opposite; money was demanded from him or his father in exchange for doing something good for him, i.e. making the DOJ investigation go away. Maybe that still fits the legal definition of extortion, I don't know. But it's not what would typically be considered an extortion scheme.

The Unkle wrote:

The NY Times?

"Is said to have sought.."

Some "journalism"

How about FOX? Does that make you happier?

"Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is facing a federal investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct, asked President Trump's White House for a preemptive pardon at the end of his term, Fox News has confirmed."

Can you get a pre-emptive pardon? Presidential pardons seem ridiculous to me anyway, but that seems even more ridiculous.

A pardon would have been pre-emptive in the sense that it would have occurred before Gaetz has actually been arrested or formally charged with a crime. But the crime (assuming there was a crime) was committed before the pardon would have been granted so, in that sense it would not be pre-emptive.

No charges filed....Just lots of innuendo from the corrupt, left-wing fake news who want desperately to damage Gaetz.

runnerboy70 wrote:

No charges filed....Just lots of innuendo from the corrupt, left-wing fake news who want desperately to damage Gaetz.

Not yet little man.

Gaetz is already damaged, mortally so. His political career is dead in the water.

You put all your hopes into another loser.

Sad.

runnerboy70 wrote:

No charges filed....Just lots of innuendo from the corrupt, left-wing fake news who want desperately to damage Gaetz.

But in a statement Wednesday, Trump said Gaetz never asked him directly: "Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon," Trump said. "It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him."

I love how Trump spent years leading chants of "Lock her up" about Hillary, who has never been charged with a crime and who was actually cleared after an investigation by AGs Sessions and Barr, but now he finds it so persuasive that Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. And all the sheep who joined in those chants all of a sudden preach about the presumption of innocence.

Sure, there are no charges right now, and Gaetz is innocent until proven guilty. But I wouldn't want to be in his shoes now, I'd say that things are only going to get worse for him.

Speaking of creepy pedo types, your boy Biden is at the top of the list.

Get back to me when the DOJ is investigating him for child sex trafficking.

No..Joe just takes payoffs from the Chinese....

"Trump said Gaetz never asked him directly"

Aren't pardon requests done backchannel anyway? So why would Gaetz ask Trump directly?

Yes, someone savvy and in the government like Gaetz would probably approach Trump's aides and not him. FOX and the New York Times have reported that that was the case here, and there's no denials, even from Trump or Gaetz, that it is the case. Does that make him guilty or indicate he knew that he was in hot water? Not sure. But do people who are squeaky clean generally appeal for pardons? No.

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:

Yes, someone savvy and in the government like Gaetz would probably approach Trump's aides and not him. FOX and the New York Times have reported that that was the case here, and there's no denials, even from Trump or Gaetz, that it is the case. Does that make him guilty or indicate he knew that he was in hot water? Not sure. But do people who are squeaky clean generally appeal for pardons? No.

There's a bit of talk from certain people that he was begging for a pardon, not for his sex offending, but for his involvement in the January 6th 'incident' (I know people get a bit emotional when it gets called an insurrection.).

Either way. Not looking great. Letsrun's finest should probably be on the lookout for a new hero in Congress.

If the last 4 years has tought us anything, it's that unless there are actual CHARGES brought forward by a prosecutor, then it's entirely fake news to speculate on what is or is not true.

And even if there were charges, he would need to be found guilty in a court of law. The court of public opinion is only intended to smear.

So whether you like the guy or not, this story has no teeth whatsoever.

It looks like Gaetz's wingman Joel Greenberg is copping a plea with the feds.

Although there's no confirmation that Greenberg has agreed to cooperate and testify against Gaetz, Greenberg's lawyer had this to say:

"I'm sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawyer-for-gaetz-associate-who-will-likely-strike-a-plea-deal-i-am-sure-matt-gaetz-is-not-feeling-very-comfortable-today/ar-BB1frMJ1?li=BBnb7Kz

ya..... wrote:

If the last 4 years has tought us anything, it's that unless there are actual CHARGES brought forward by a prosecutor, then it's entirely fake news to speculate on what is or is not true.

And even if there were charges, he would need to be found guilty in a court of law. The court of public opinion is only intended to smear.

So whether you like the guy or not, this story has no teeth whatsoever.

Other than the sabertoothed that is

Yes, you’re right. Legal guilt is different than participating in illegal activities on record. But that’s easy to overlook when it’s convenient.