Tag: Gaetz sex scandal

Strike 3: ‘America First’ Rally Axed in Anaheim After 2 Cancellations Elsewhere

Hometown of Disneyland was not the happiest place on Earth and nixed plans for a rally with Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene

An “America First” Rally featuring speeches by controversial GOP representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz was scheduled for Saturday night at Anaheim Event Center following cancellations at two other Southern California venues, but Anaheim also backed out on Saturday morning.

The City of Anaheim — home to Disneyland — was not the happiest place on Earth over the news, reported Saturday morning by City News Service, with the city issuing a statement Saturday saying it planned to act fast on the plans. And it did, cancelling the event with a follow-up statement, citing public safety concerns.

“The city of Anaheim shared public safety concerns with the operator, and those concerns are shared by the operator,” the statement said in part. “As a city we respect free speech but also have a duty to call out speech that does not reflect our city and its values.” Continue reading.

QAnon congresswoman complains about her and Matt Gaetz being so politically toxic

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Controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) complained about “communists” on Friday after she and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) faced backlash over plans for an “America First” rally in California.

The two were disinvited from a location in legendary GOP stronghold of Orange County. After failing to find another venue in the OC that would take them, the two moved the spectacle to Riverside County.

But even after securing a second venue, the two faced protests as they were holding their event at the city-owned convention center. Continue reading.

Fox News now has a conspiracy theory that vindicates both Matt Gaetz and Donald Trump

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Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on Friday returned to his debunked conspiracy theory that it was actually the FBI — not Trump and his supporters — who were responsible for the January 6th insurrection.

After Carlson interviewed Glenn Greenwald, the host wondered if maybe the FBI set up not just Donald Trump supporters, but also Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

“It does kind of make you wonder about Matt Gaetz, actually. Remember Matt Gaetz? He was engaged in child sex trafficking,” Carlson said with a mocking voice. Continue reading.

Matt Gaetz investigation intensifies as feds turn their attention to ‘tight-knit Central Florida political scene’

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Amid the federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), prosecutors have also focused their attention on the Central, Fla., political scene. Since investigators gained the cooperation of Gaetz’s ally former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, they have reportedly been able to accelerate their investigative probe, according to ABC News.

In May, Greenberg entered a guilty plea on 6 out of 33 charges including stalking, sex trafficking, wire fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy to bribe a public official. As part of his plea deal, there is speculation he could provide prosecutors with evidence and a testimony that could compromise the Florida lawmaker.

In addition to interviewing a number of women who met Gaetz through Greenberg, investigators have also issued a new round of subpoenas and target letters. The investigation has also led to a probe into the political scene; one that Gaetz and Greenberg are very familiar with. Continue reading.

‘Bad news for Matt Gaetz’: Former prosecutor says obstruction probe could bring pro-Trump congressman down

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On CNN Thursday, former federal prosecutor Elie Honig explained the significance of the new obstruction of justice investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who is facing allegations he worked with an indicted former tax official in Seminole County to transport a minor over state lines for sex.

“It’s a big deal if there was obstruction here, because they can use that to show a consciousness of guilt, right?” asked anchor Poppy Harlow.

“Yeah, Poppy, this is bad news for Matt Gaetz on two levels, really,” said Honig. “First of all, it’s a federal crime, and a serious one, to obstruct justice. People get charged with obstruction of justice all the time and go to jail for obstruction of justice. Obstruction enables prosecutors to argue to a jury what we call ‘consciousness of guilt,’ meaning the really simple logical idea that you don’t obstruct justice unless you have a reason. You don’t try to get people to change or alter their testimony unless there’s something that you’re trying to hide. That can be a really powerful argument.” Continue reading.

As Ex-Girlfriend Flips For Prosecutors, Gaetz Insists He’s Ignoring Scandal

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Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has tried to set up a smokescreen, insisting he’s “not focused on scandal” as news breaks his ex-girlfriend has flipped and is now cooperating with federal authorities, just like his former “wingman,” Joel Greenberg.

Gaetz, who is under federal investigation for possible sex trafficking and possible sex with a 17-year old girl, in a Friday interview tried to minimize the charges against his friend, Greenberg, by suggesting he is in jail for defamation. Greenberg was facing dozens of charges, but currently the list stands at just six felonies after he entered a plea deal on Monday. Legal experts expect he is handing federal prosecutors evidence against the Florida GOP Congressman.

Meanwhile, federal authorities investigating Gaetz “have secured the cooperation of the congressman’s ex-girlfriend,” CNN reports. Continue reading.

Roger Stone Shilled For Gaetz (And Was Paid To Do It)

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Since cashing a check from the reelection campaign of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in March, notorious political dirty trickster Roger Stone has furiously defended the congressman amid a firestorm surrounding a federal investigation into his activities. On his social media accounts and in an interview with Infowars’ Alex Jones, Stone attacked the story as a conspiracy between the media and the “deep state” intended to derail a future Gaetz run for president. 

The Daily Beast reported that federal campaign finance disclosures reveal Gaetz’s campaign paid Stone’s Drake Ventures $5,000 for “strategic political consulting” fees on March 24. It was the first time the campaign had ever made a payment to the firm. Six days later, the New York Times reported that Gaetz has been under federal investigation for alleged sex trafficking.

Hours after that story broke, Gaetz went on the program of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, an apparent personal friend of Stone’s, to defend himself. The Florida congressman denied the report and alleged that he had been the victim of an attempted extortion. The interview went poorly, and Fox seemed to abandon Gaetz, who had built his political brand through appearances on the network, amid disastrous reports about his behavior which eventually triggered a House Ethics Committee probe. Continue reading.

Gaetz ex-girlfriend feared alleged sex-trafficking victim taped call for feds

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Gaetz ex-girlfriend feared alleged sex-trafficking victim taped call for feds

MIAMI — Matt Gaetz’s former girlfriend has told friends she’s worried that the woman who is key to the federal government’s sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate the Florida lawmaker on a recorded call.

The revelation raises the possibility that federal prosecutors have two top cooperating witnesses: the woman who was an alleged sex-trafficking victim when she was a minor and the Gaetz associate already indicted for that crime, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg.

Until now, there were signs the alleged sex-trafficking victim was notcooperating with federal authorities. In August, prior to Greenberg’s sex-trafficking indictment, Greenberg said in a WhatsApp chat with another friendthat he was paying for her attorney at the time and that she was resistant to cooperating with investigators. Continue reading.

Federal Agents Seized Smartphones Owned By Gaetz And Girlfriend

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Federal agents investigating Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz for possibly underaged sex trafficking and for a possible sexual relationship with an underaged girl were able to get a federal judge to sign off on a search warrant and execute that warrant, seizing his iPhone late last year.

“Gaetz’s predicament as the subject of a serious investigation became clearer this winter when federal agents executed a search warrant and seized his iPhone, Politicoreports, “according to interviews with three people who were told of the matter by Gaetz, who changed his phone number in late December.”

“Around that time, the sources said, federal agents also seized his former girlfriend’s phone before she went into work at a state agency in the morning. She declined comment.” Continue reading.

How the Justice Department came to investigate Rep. Matt Gaetz

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The missive arrived at an Orlando-area preparatory school in October 2019, outlining a damaging allegation against a music teacher there.

The teacher, in the letter’s telling, had had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the purported student who had written it. And the writer claimed to offer proof: private Facebook messages in which the teacher, Brian Beute, told his alleged victim: “Please remember to keep this a secret. I could go to jail.”

Beute, who had recently announced his candidacy in the local tax collector’s race, knew the allegation was a lie, as investigators quickly determined. But what he could not foresee is how the ploy to sabotage his run for local office would drag the seedy politics in Seminole County, Fla., into the national spotlight and put a U.S. congressman with close ties to former president Donald Trump in the crosshairs of a Justice Department investigation. Continue reading.