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Matt Gaetz: ethics report to be released (soon?)

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By Gil Bang
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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32547

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Orlando Sentinel put up a piece that goes into details about the tax collector that was tight with Gaetz.  Now that guy is sketchy as hell:

 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-joel-greenberg-matt-gaetz-investigation-sex-trafficking-20210330-moyyt73tbzhrlmpjcwkqv2oeyq-story.html

 

Quote

Federal authorities are investigating potential sex trafficking violations by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a probe that emerged from the prosecution of former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a report by the New York Times.

Citing three people briefed on the matter, the Times reported Tuesday that Justice Department investigators are looking into whether Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him.

 

Quote

The probe of Gaetz reportedly stemmed from the investigation of Greenberg, who faces a slew of charges including sex trafficking of a child. He is currently slated to stand trial in June.

The Times report noted that many details of the Gaetz probe remain unclear, including how the congressman allegedly met the girl. The encounters allegedly occurred about two years ago and the investigation began in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney General William P. Barr, the report said.

 

Quote

No charges have yet been brought against Gaetz. Neither the congressman nor his office could be reached for comment.

But in an interview with the news website Axios, Gaetz described himself as a generous romantic partner who had “absolutely” not dated underage girls.

“I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I’ve dated,” he said. “You know, I’ve paid for flights, for hotel rooms. I’ve been, you know, generous as a partner. I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it is not.”

 

Spoiler

But Gaetz also claimed, in comments to the Times and Axios as well as in a thread of posts on Twitter, that he was the victim of a convoluted extortion plot by a former Department of Justice official, who he said had used threats to smear him in an attempt to extract millions of dollars.

“No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation,” he said.

Greenberg resigned as tax collector in June, after he was arrested at his home by federal agents. He faces 14 charges, including allegations that he stalked a political opponent, illegally used a state database to create fake IDs and sex trafficked a minor.

Federal prosecutors charge that Greenberg used his access as an elected official to a confidential state database to look up information about a girl between the ages of 14 and 17 with whom he was engaged in a “sugar daddy” relationship.

Greenberg also is charged with producing “a false identification document and to facilitate his efforts to engage in commercial sex acts,” according to federal indictments filed with the U.S. Attorney’s office in August.

Several former employees told the Orlando Sentinel that Greenberg often mentioned how he and Gaetz were close friends, and that the congressman would often visit him at his Lake Mary home.

Prosecutors said in a grand jury indictment that Greenberg, as tax collector, took surrendered drivers licenses before they were shredded by office staff and created new IDs with his photograph but with the personal information of residents.

When federal agents first arrested Greenberg in the early morning of June 23 at his home in the gated Heathrow community, they said they found on the front seat of Greenberg’s SUV, which belonged to the Tax Collector’s Office, a backpack holding several fake IDs, according to court records. Agents also found materials used to create fake IDs at Greenberg’s office at the Tax Collector’s administrative office in Lake Mary.

Greenberg was released on bond after his arrest but was returned to custody March 3, when a federal magistrate ordered him back to jail for violating his 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and for leaving the Central Florida area. According to court records, Greenberg had left his Lake Mary home on Feb. 28 and drove to his mother-in-law’s condominium in Jupiter to look for his wife, Abby Greenberg.

Greenberg is now in the Orange County Jail awaiting his trial scheduled for mid-June.

Gaetz, 38, of Fort Walton Beach, is serving his third term representing the western Panhandle area in Congress. A former state House member, Gaetz has been one of former President Trump’s closest allies in Florida and was a regular on Air Force One during Trump’s term.

Gaetz gained notoriety for over-the-top stunts including storming a classified impeachment hearing in 2019 and wearing a full gas mask on the floor of the House in the early days of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020. He also invited Charles Johnson, a white nationalist website operator and Holocaust denier, to Trump’s State of the Union address, later claiming that he barely knew Johnson.

He also has been an active Twitter user and a hardcore Trump MAGA supporter. His bio on the site reads, “Florida man. Fiancé. Firebrand. America First.”

Gaetz has often been a critic of members of his own party, including backing challenger Scott Franklin over incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Ross Spano in last year’s primary in District 15 in Lake, Polk and Hillsborough counties and traveling to Wyoming to attack U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney after her vote to impeach Trump.

In January 2020, state Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of having created a “game” during his time in Tallahassee that gave out points for “sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.” The allegation echoed a Miami Herald story in 2015 that reported that such a game was played by younger state representatives. Gaetz denied involvement in any such game.

 

 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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I love how Gaetz can't read on Tucker's face, "I know this is my usual face with guests, it's my fake wonderment face.  But seriously dude, it's a legit WTF face right now.  Shut the fuck up right now about this dinner with my wife and how of course we'd know the underage chick you brought to it because she made such a magnificent impression on us.  What the fuck is wrong with you?  I brought you on to let you clear some air, now you're dragging my fucking wife into this.  She barely likes me as it is, now I'm gonna get the whole 'tell your friends to shut the fuck up about me on the air' speech from her later tonight?  Thanks a lot dickweed.  I don't tell people on the air what 'shock the pool tonight' means when you text it to Nestor.  Fuck you, bro.  Not cool."  

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Anybody have that Fox graphic from about 10-15 days ago where Trump put up his 6-8 "rising star" contenders in the GOP?  Gonna start laying odds on who's next to fall off that.

Also digging the attempts by Gaetz to distance himself from Joel Greenberg as much as possible in the last 24 hours.  "Greenberg?  Local tax assessor? Nope, don't really know him, I work in Washington now.  (looks at photo of the two of them and Roger Stone at Mar-a-Lago).  I mean, yeah...we went cruising for young trim in South Beach with Stoney...but that's just par for the course.  Doesn't really stick out in the mind, ya' know?"  

Edited by Lobo
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Jhawkmvp

Jhawkmvp 1514

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Orlando Sentinel put up a piece that goes into details about the tax collector that was tight with Gaetz.  Now that guy is sketchy as hell:

 

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-joel-greenberg-matt-gaetz-investigation-sex-trafficking-20210330-moyyt73tbzhrlmpjcwkqv2oeyq-story.html

 

 

 

 

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But Gaetz also claimed, in comments to the Times and Axios as well as in a thread of posts on Twitter, that he was the victim of a convoluted extortion plot by a former Department of Justice official, who he said had used threats to smear him in an attempt to extract millions of dollars.

“No part of the allegations against me are true, and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation,” he said.

Greenberg resigned as tax collector in June, after he was arrested at his home by federal agents. He faces 14 charges, including allegations that he stalked a political opponent, illegally used a state database to create fake IDs and sex trafficked a minor.

Federal prosecutors charge that Greenberg used his access as an elected official to a confidential state database to look up information about a girl between the ages of 14 and 17 with whom he was engaged in a “sugar daddy” relationship.

Greenberg also is charged with producing “a false identification document and to facilitate his efforts to engage in commercial sex acts,” according to federal indictments filed with the U.S. Attorney’s office in August.

Several former employees told the Orlando Sentinel that Greenberg often mentioned how he and Gaetz were close friends, and that the congressman would often visit him at his Lake Mary home.

Prosecutors said in a grand jury indictment that Greenberg, as tax collector, took surrendered drivers licenses before they were shredded by office staff and created new IDs with his photograph but with the personal information of residents.

When federal agents first arrested Greenberg in the early morning of June 23 at his home in the gated Heathrow community, they said they found on the front seat of Greenberg’s SUV, which belonged to the Tax Collector’s Office, a backpack holding several fake IDs, according to court records. Agents also found materials used to create fake IDs at Greenberg’s office at the Tax Collector’s administrative office in Lake Mary.

Greenberg was released on bond after his arrest but was returned to custody March 3, when a federal magistrate ordered him back to jail for violating his 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and for leaving the Central Florida area. According to court records, Greenberg had left his Lake Mary home on Feb. 28 and drove to his mother-in-law’s condominium in Jupiter to look for his wife, Abby Greenberg.

Greenberg is now in the Orange County Jail awaiting his trial scheduled for mid-June.

Gaetz, 38, of Fort Walton Beach, is serving his third term representing the western Panhandle area in Congress. A former state House member, Gaetz has been one of former President Trump’s closest allies in Florida and was a regular on Air Force One during Trump’s term.

Gaetz gained notoriety for over-the-top stunts including storming a classified impeachment hearing in 2019 and wearing a full gas mask on the floor of the House in the early days of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020. He also invited Charles Johnson, a white nationalist website operator and Holocaust denier, to Trump’s State of the Union address, later claiming that he barely knew Johnson.

He also has been an active Twitter user and a hardcore Trump MAGA supporter. His bio on the site reads, “Florida man. Fiancé. Firebrand. America First.”

Gaetz has often been a critic of members of his own party, including backing challenger Scott Franklin over incumbent GOP U.S. Rep. Ross Spano in last year’s primary in District 15 in Lake, Polk and Hillsborough counties and traveling to Wyoming to attack U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney after her vote to impeach Trump.

In January 2020, state Rep. Chris Latvala accused Gaetz of having created a “game” during his time in Tallahassee that gave out points for “sleeping with aides, interns, lobbyists, and married legislators.” The allegation echoed a Miami Herald story in 2015 that reported that such a game was played by younger state representatives. Gaetz denied involvement in any such game.

 

 

No wonder Trump likes Gaetz so much. Since Epstein got arrested and then deep sixed, maybe Gaetz was his able to hook Trump up with Greenberg.

 

I'm only half-joking.

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Bullneck

Bullneck 19456

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Let's not forget this:

 

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Rep. Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s man in Florida, has found himself at the center of another scandal—but this time around, it does not involve fraternizing with an accused Holocaust denier or drunk driving. Instead, the Panhandle Republican may have violated House ethics rules in two separate incidents. Politico reported on Wednesday that Gaetz incorrectly directed $28,000 in taxpayer dollars to a company that offers consultant work for speeches, a money transfer prohibited under House rules. The LLC that received the funds is tied to Darren Beattie, who worked in the White House until he was removed from the post after it was revealed that he spoke at a convention known to be a forum for white nationalist and racist views.

In another possible ethics infraction, an unnamed private company reportedly installed a TV studio in Gaetz’s father’s home. The company that built the studio charges $100 a month for use of a rental camera, which taxpayers fund. The private company also charges a fee to uplink to the camera, i.e. every time Gaetz appears on air, though Gaetz’s office told Vanity Fair in a statement that taxpayers do not pay that fee. The arrangement could potentially break a House rule that bars U.S. representatives and their aides and family members from accepting gifts valued at more than $50. In a statement, Gaetz’s office said that it “consulted with the House Ethics Committee and the House Administration Committee throughout the entire setup process for guidance on how to maintain compliance with House rules, which we have done.”

In response to questions about his use of taxpayer money to pay the speech-consulting company, Gaetz’s office denied any intentional wrongdoing. “Although the contractual arrangement was approved by the necessary House authorities, a second review by the Finance Office determined that the services could not be contracted for in exactly that fashion, and our office is currently working through the best way to proceed with both Finance and the House Ethics Committee,” read a statement from the office. “The funds were all immediately returned to the House as soon as the review determined this was not the right way to structure this. This is nothing more than a glorified clerical error.”

 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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In what I'm sure is completely unrelated news...earlier today, Rep. Gaetz's D.C. and 2 Florida field offices were closed and all staff ordered to tele-commute/remote work for the foreseeable future.  The outgoing message merely says, "Out of an abundance of caution."  Covid-19 outbreak?  Threats on the Capitol?  Flu bug going around?  Standard security sweeps on the offices?  Doesn't say.  Literally just says "Out of an abundance of caution, all staff at all offices will be tele-commuting for the rest of the week."  Kinda of a weird way to announce early time off for Easter, Matt.  Must be part of that big extortion ring trying to bring down your Mom.  

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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Don Gaetz, "Yeah, it's a wire.  Look what I got man, look at me.  I got this Matt asshole for a son.  Some Cuban cabanaboy posing as my grandson.  Who knows what they're up to.  They made me do it, Barrito.  It wasn't even turned on.  I was gonna give you a signal man, it wasn't turned on!"  

Edited by Lobo
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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46077

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Posted
1 hour ago, Lobo said:

Nope, don't really know him, I work in Washington now.  (looks at photo of the two of them and Roger Stone at Mar-a-Lago).  I mean, yeah...we went cruising for young trim in South Beach with Stoney...but that's just par for the course.  Doesn't really stick out in the mind, ya' know?"  

Sadly, this is probably 99% accurate.

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956 Worldwide

956 Worldwide 35554

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Pretty wild how this story is like 4 hours old and Gaetz has gone from “yeah I fuck a lot of bitches and pay for shit, so what?” to “my family is being extorted” to “the pictures of me with an underage hooker that you all are going to see in a few days are fake news.”

American Horror Story Good Job GIF by AHS

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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You'll know today that this is for real and going to seriously bring down Gaetz, and perhaps even tarnish Trump a bit when you see these words, in this order:

"Well what about Cuomo?"  

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Nice Guy Eddie

Nice Guy Eddie 13713

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You can only be extorted for $25m when the story is true.

if someone extorted anyone for (insert large percentage of their net worth) for a made up story, they would be laughed it. Fine, go to the media and/or police with your made up claims, I don’t care.

im not going to watch his tucker interview but was he ever asked by ace reporter Carlson if he had a relationship with a 17 year old? That is the only question that matters.

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
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