Matt Goetz (R-FL): Full-fledged Republican! Sex Trafficker, Too?

Matt Gaetz and His Spiraling Sex Scandal

Gaetz may not realize it yet, but the rushing in his ears is the sound of himself being flushed down the political toilet. Republicans are pretending he doesn't exist and Faux News has suddenly gone deaf and dumb on this BIGLIEST news story in circulation.

Gaetz, probably the second most despised elected official after Ted Cruz, is tied with him as most stupid Republican in D.C. Trump's Swamp became Trump's Slew of Despond while he was in office, and continues to evolve, achieving Trump's Lickspittle Privy status after the antics of Hawley's Nazi saluting Jan. 6; Ted's Wonderful Cancun Vacation; RoJo's proud racism, and Lady Lindsey's assault rifle "anti-gangsta" antics. Now add Matt Gaetz, suspected sex trafficker, prostitutionalist, and fake ID underworld figure to the cesspit.

Currently, there are too many stories for one person to cover as each day brings its load of Gaetz sleaze to the dump. Consequently, this thread exists for LTers to post their favorites -- with comments! Oh! And BYOPC.

Thanx and nod to kiparsky for pointing out to me that my ugly spelling of this scumbag's last name made it look uglier than it naturally is when spelled correctly with an "a" rather than the "o" I preferred.

Edited to reflect correct spelling of "Gaetz," where poss.

>1 Limelite: To answer the question in the thread title: Apparently, yes.

But of course, Republicans don't mind sex traffickers too very much, as long as they're useful. So we'll find out whether they think Gaetz is useful.

Great choice of picture. Hope it comes true.

Matt Gaetz Buddy, Joel Greenberg, Scheduled to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

"On Monday Greenberg is expected to plead guilty to federal charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He has been cooperating with federal investigators and has told them that he and Gaetz paid for sexual encounters with at least one 17-year-old.

While Gaetz has yet to be charged with a crime, the slimy trail of possible sex trafficking, soliciting prostitution, and having paid underage sexual encounters associated with Greenberg will probably contaminate Gaetz's scrubbed-clean image of himself.

The federal charges were not named, nor were the terms of the deal revealed, including whether or not Greenberg will testify against Gaetz. IMO, look for him to rat him out.

Greenberg is no stranger to criminal behavior and unethical conduct, as one learns in shocking and voluminous detail in the Orlando Sentinel article linked above. As Gaetz's pal, I imagine Gaetz's ethical behavior and values are similar to their mutual taste when it comes to paid sexual activity. Beyond the pale.

Soon, one hopes, Greenberg and Gaetz will have another thing in common, federal orange wardrobes.

UPDATE: Greenberg Flipped

Apparently plea detail includes cooperative agreement requiring Greeberg to "tell all he knows." That's usually a requirement in such cases.

Harry Litman
@harrylitman
Gaetz knew it was coming, but it still has to be terrifying to get the news and chew on its implications. Greenberg to plead guilty on Monday, testify against Gaetz.

BOMBSHELL: Gaetz and Escort Snort Coke Post GOP Fundraiser

When Rep. Matt Gaetz attended a 2019 GOP fundraiser in Orlando, his date that night was someone he knew well: a paid escort and amateur Instagram model who led a cocaine-fueled party after the event, according to two witnesses.

. . .this woman, Megan Zalonka, is that she turned her relationship with Greenberg into a taxpayer-funded no-show job that earned her an estimated $7,000 to $17,500, according to three sources and corresponding government records obtained by The Daily Beast.

On Oct. 26, 2019, Gaetz attended the “Trump Defender Gala” fundraiser as the featured speaker at the Westgate Lake Resort in Orlando. Two witnesses present recalled friends reconvening at Gaetz’s hotel room for an after-party, where Zalonka prepared lines of cocaine on the bathroom counter. One of those witnesses distinctly remembers Zalonka pulling the drugs out of her makeup bag, rolling a bill of cash, and joining Gaetz in snorting the cocaine.

While The Daily Beast could not confirm that Gaetz and Zalonka had sex that night, two sources said the pair had an ongoing financial relationship in exchange for sex.

Appears her no-show "government" job only involved pay-to-play encounters with Gaetz.

Federal prosecutors are mum on whether or not they have questioned Zalonka as part of the Greenberg investigation. The public will have to wait until after Greenberg shows up to enter his guilty plea on Monday to discover if he'll have details about possibly "procuring" Zalonka for Gaetz. A drug habit is an expensive recreation, as is the kind of recreational sex Greenberg is accused of pursuing -- along with his congressional pal.

Ruh-Roh!

Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend to cooperate with federal authorities in sex trafficking investigation.

. . .a former Capitol Hill staffer, she is seen as a critical witness, as she has been linked to Gaetz as far back as the summer of 2017, a period of time that has emerged as a key window of scrutiny for investigators. She can also help investigators understand the relevance of hundreds of transactions they have obtained records of, including those involving alleged payments for sex. . .
(SNIP)
Justice Department spokesman Joshua Stueve declined to comment to CNN. The ex-girlfriend's lawyer Timothy Jansen also declined to comment.
(SNIP)
There are new signs of investigative activity too, after sources had recently told CNN the FBI was mostly done gathering evidence.

. . .federal investigators have sought information from new witnesses as recently as this month, including communications and payments from a group of men that included Gaetz and Greenberg.

Decisions on whether to charge Gaetz have yet to be made and will fall to prosecutors in the public integrity section of the Justice Department. That decision is likely to take some time. . .

Judge Accepts Gaetz Wingman, Greenberg's, Guilty Plea

Joel Greenberg is officially guilty of six criminal counts. "The Florida Republican agreed to cooperate with investigators in exchange fore(sic) 27 counts being dismissed. He must also pay $655,000 in restitution."

Gaetz Under Investigation for Obstruction of Justice

Federal prosecutors are examining whether Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justice during a phone call he had with a witness in the sex-crimes investigation of the Florida congressman, according to two sources familiar with the case.

The obstruction inquiry stems from a phone call the witness had with Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend. At some point during the conversation, the ex-girlfriend patched Gaetz into the call.

. . .the discussion on that call is central to whether prosecutors can charge Gaetz with obstructing justice, which makes it illegal to suggest that a witness in a criminal case lie or give misleading testimony.

The witness later spoke with prosecutors. . .
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Brian Tannebaum, a veteran federal defense attorney. . .said that obstruction of justice is “widely used by prosecutors in various forms” and can even ensnare witnesses who lie on the stand at trial. He said that, if authorities recorded the call involving Gaetz, prosecutors will listen for signs that he’s trying to get the woman to “get her story straight” by shading the truth.

“If there’s any indication he was trying to influence her testimony, that can be obstruction,” Tannebaum said. “If it’s determined that what he said obstructed the investigation — ‘did what he tell you have any influence on your testimony before the grand jury?’ — it can be real problem.”

The former Gaetz girlfriend who was on the call in question, meanwhile, is seeking an immunity deal from prosecutors and has expressed fears to friends that she too may have run afoul of an obstruction of justice charge. She told friends that she feared the alleged trafficking victim may have recorded her in another phone call.
(SNIP)
Greenberg is already cooperating with the federal government, and there are signs that the woman he sex-trafficked as a minor is cooperating as well.

And his fiancée wants this creep to be the father of her children!!!

>11 Molly3028: A sane woman would get a restraining order against his sperm.

“ Another person said that Gaetz always had a reputation for being an attention seeking douchebag, but they noted, “He’s more over-the-top now.””

https://www.queerty.com/leaked-email-written-matt-gaetz-definitely-wont-help-chi...

July Could Mean Fireworks For Sure

Matt Gaetz may be facing charges in July based on the evidence to be turned over to prosecutors by his former best bud, now betrayer, fellow Republican, Joel Greenberg.

The former tax collector pleaded guilty in May to a host of crimes including charges of stalking, identity theft, wire fraud and conspiracy to bribe a public official, as well as a sex trafficking charge. Greenberg is prepared to hand over evidence and testimony that could implicate Gaetz and others.
(SNIP)
. . . the probe into the congressman has ramped up in recent weeks. Investigators have started interviewing more women who were allegedly introduced to Gaetz through Greenberg, who last month pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl -- who later went on to work in pornography -- and introducing her to other "adult men." Since May, a new round of target letters and subpoenas in the wide-ranging investigation have been sent out.
(SNIP)
Another avenue investigators have been focusing on recently, according to sources, are contracts that Greenberg handed out through the tax office totaling more than $1.5 million, which an independent audit late last year described as "unnecessary" and "considered to be a waste of taxpayer dollars," according to documents in the forensic audit of the tax office.

But wait. . . there's more. As a result of their May investigations of Goldberg and interviews with forthcoming female witnesses, the case is expanding to involve additional associates of both men and possible criminal acts going back to 2016, Trump's election year.

A subpoena received by one associate allegedly stated that the grand jury is investigating alleged crimes "involving commercial sex acts with adult and minor women as well as obstruction of justice."

WATB, Matt Gaetz, Whines "FBI encourages 'snitching'

Speaking to the right-wing news outlet Newsmax this Tuesday evening, Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz accused the FBI of carrying out politically motivated prosecutions at the behest of the Democratic Party. No, Matt. Just because the Orange Shitegibbon, at whose feet you grovel at every opportunity, solicited the FBI, the DOJ, foreign leaders to "snitch" on journalists, the DNC, and his political opponents doesn't mean that your joy of projection has any merit.

Here's what the FBI said.

On Sunday, the FBI tweeted: "Family members and peers are often best positioned to witness signs of mobilization to violence. Help prevent homegrown violent extremism. Visit https://go.usa.gov/x6mjf to learn how to spot suspicious behaviors and report them to the #FBI." The message has sparked a backlash from some Republicans.

Remember when "see something, say something" was all the thing after 9/11 when a Republican was president? Sure, you're old enough.

All the right wing opposition to what they warmly embraced when the perps were Arab terrorists is because the bad guys terrorizing Americans now are their bad guys - racist bigots who hate democracy when it doesn't roll over and grant their illegal desires.

Matt's response?

"Back during the worst days of the Soviet Union, one out of every three of the folks in that country was providing some sort of information to a centralized governing authority," Gaetz said. "Snitching really is a tool of the repressive security state, and we don't want that to happen in our country."

Well, it has happened in out country, legalized by Republicans like you, Matt. Yet, he emits not a peep in the face of a TX law passed to suppress abortion rights that encourages anyone who believe an obstetrician or other medical professional is involved in offering full service care to their women patients report that person to law enforcement so they can be arrested. Pinhead propagandist that he is.

Gaetz Sex Scandal Grows into Shakedown Scheme of Former CIA Operative

The under-aged sex scandal hanging around Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) neck now involves famed Dilbert cartoonist, Scott Adams, and Jake Novak, the broadcast media director of the Consulate General of Israel in New York. Three days before the Gaetz headlines hit the news, Novak began corresponding over social media with Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams about the scandal.

Novak indicated to Adams he had inside knowledge of the probe and also suggested he was personally involved in an effort to get $25 million out of Gaetz’s wealthy father to help free an American hostage in Iran named Bob Levinson, an American hostage in Iran whom most intelligence officials believe is dead.

Novak never said he thought the alleged plan to free the hostage was a crime. . .

"The backstory is this is screwing up my efforts to free Bob Levinson," Novak wrote. "I've got a commando team leader friend of mine nervously waiting for wire transfers to clear."

Novak later told Adams that "the real documents do not extort. And we only asked for $25 million as an estimate at first. We came way down." Raw Story

But on Aug. 31, a federal grand jury indicted a suspect for allegedly trying to defraud Gaetz’s father. The scheme involved a Florida developer, Stephen Alford, who claimed that, in return for financing the hostage rescue, he and another man would use their influence in the federal government to ensure the congressman “receives a presidential pardon, thus alleviating all his legal issues,” the indictment said.

After this "solicitation" for funds from Gaetz's father became a footnote to the salacious going on of the son, the congressman sent a letter to the Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan requesting a meeting with him to discuss Novak’s communications with Adams.

The revelations that an employee of a foreign government had represented his involvement in what’s now considered a criminal fraud scheme targeting a sitting congressman doesn’t speak to Gaetz’ guilt or innocence.

But it's an under reported and concerning thread that requires further investigation. In the words of Ronald E. Neumann, a career former ambassador and president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. . .

“It’s certainly problematic, if it’s true,” Neumann said. “Anytime you have criminal or potential criminal behavior, and somebody who’s part of a foreign embassy or consulate, it’s a problem.”

It just so happens that cartoonist Adams is a big fan of Donald Trump and not averse to Getz's politics, either. But why Novak should talk about his involvement in a shakedown scheme to the extent of saying ". . .we only asked for $25 million. . ." to Adams is a mystery. Unless, of course, he was fully aware that Adams' political sympathies had led to some kind of relationship with the congressman and his father that could be "played" by Novak and Alford to secure money in return for a promise of a pardon. Obviously, Novak was convinced -- and may have reason(s), as yet unknown, to be -- that Congressman Gaetz is up to his eyebrows in guilt.

It will be interesting to hear Gaetz's motive for writing to Novak and to learn exactly what he said in his letter. I'm getting curiouser and curiouser.

Gaetz Expecting 'Grave Charges' & Criminal Trial

How does one know? Look at the pantheon of lawyers he's lined up.

Gaetz is personally represented by Marc Mukasey, who has defended the Trump Organization in several high-profile disputes, as well as Isabelle Kirshner, a partner at Clayman & Rosenberg LLP. Kirshner is a top Manhattan criminal defense attorney who also represented former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after multiple women accused him of physical assault.

Separately, the Gaetz campaign—Friends of Matt Gaetz—also looked north when in June it retained New York-based trial lawyer Marc Fernich. Fernich’s client list includes child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and convicted sex trafficker Keith Raniere, who led the NXIVM cult.

Gaetz's legal field of dreams team includes a lawyer deeply familiar with campaign finance law -- Mukasey; a lawyer well versed in sex crime defense -- Kishner; and a high-powered trial lawyer versed in defending the despicable.

This bunch of legal eagles aren't negotiators, their scorched earth defense attorneys. If Gaetz wants a plea deal he's hired the kind of people who by-pass the prosecutors and go straight to the DOJ to make a deal.

The fact that Gaetz's self-declared “wingman,” Joel Greenberg, made a plea deal and is cooperating with prosecutors in the accused child sex case of his buddy has put Gaetz up against the wall. He's going to need hired actors well practiced in courtroom theatrics and blowing PR smoke at the press in order to keep him looking good for as long as he thinks his political aspirations can withstand his present imbroglio. All well and good. But not likely to impress a judge, and probably less likely to win friends in the jury box. Nice try, though, Matt. And an expensive one, too!

"Are You Ready for Your Next Close-Up, Mr. Gaetz?"

Gaetz Ex-GF Testifies Before Federal Grand Jury

So, a deal must have been made. It's been six months in the making and could slam the door on Matt Gaetz's future freedom for many years, if he's indicted and convicted on all the charges for which he's being investigated.

Latest development in the Republican Congressman's sex trafficking investigation, "Can't be good news," according to CNN. NBC News reports that the, "DOJ may be moving closer to an indictment," of the QAnoniac FL Republican.

The ex-girlfriend. . .has been in talks for months with prosecutors about an immunity deal. Under a possible deal, she would avoid prosecution for obstruction of justice in return for testifying in the investigation into whether Gaetz in 2017 had sex with a 17-year-old female for money and whether months later he and others violated a federal law prohibiting people for paying for prostitutes overseas.

Gaetz is facing three charges in this investigation:
Sex trafficking the 17-year-old;
Violating the Mann Act, which prohibits taking women across state lines for prostitution;
Obstructing justice.

The ex-girlfriend was in an open relationship with Gaetz in 2017 and 2018 and allegedly discussed other women he was involved with, according to three friends of the former couple. She allegedly went with Gaetz and a number of other young women and friends of the congressman in 2018 on a trip to the Bahamas, a trip that is also under scrutiny, CBS News and Politico previously reported.

After the investigation began, Gaetz spoke with his ex-girlfriend in a three-way call with yet another woman who was cooperating with federal investigators at that point and was secretly recording the call, according to two sources familiar with the case.

It’s on that call that Gaetz is suspected of obstructing justice.

Looks like ex-girlfriend has a better lawyer than Matt Gaetz does.