Remember that well-worn cliche about waiting for the other shoe to drop? Meaning, in other words, that the inevitable is going to happen? Well, it looks like the inevitable has happened for Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Attorney General.
Gaetz, of course, has been under investigation by the Justice Department for alleged sex trafficking and now a young woman who was the centerpiece of that investigation may (we hope) bring him down. It’s been revealed that she testified to the House Ethics Committee that the former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17, say sources familiar with the investigation, per ABC News.
And really, this would be funny if it weren’t so sad, since Trump has nominated him to oversee the branch of government that had been previously investigating him. The investigation ended last year and no charges were brought.
When situations like this happen, I think it’s safe to say that irony is dead. Considering Trump’s treatment of women, including his now infamous hush-money trial, it makes sense that he wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that Gaetz is an alleged pedophile.
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Gaetz handed in his resignation following Trump’s announcement, according to sources. This was just as the committee was preparing to conclude its investigation, which also said the committee had planned to meet this week to decide whether to release a final report on the investigation.
The committee subpoenaed the woman this past summer, and she’s now in her 20s. She spent days testifying to the committee, telling members that Gaetz had sex with her when she was a 17-year-old high school girl, sources close to the investigation said.
The Justice Department spent years investigating the allegations, which also included allegations of obstruction of justice before telling Gaetz it wouldn’t bring charges.
And this young woman isn’t the only one to come forward. Indeed, the House Ethics Committee investigated at least half a dozen women who allegedly attended parties where Gaetz and Joel Greenberg, a former friend of Gaetz, were also present. The women were reportedly paid by Greenberg, a former Seminole County tax collector, sources told ABC News.
Greenberg is now serving an 11-year stretch in prison after agreeing to a plea deal in May 2021, pleading guilty a slew of federal crimes, including sex trafficking of the young woman when she was a minor. Oh, and he purportedly introduced her to other “adult men” while she was a minor.
According to court documents, Greenberg has said the woman “represented that she was an adult” on the website where she met Greenberg. As part of his plea agreement, he acknowledges that he “acted in reckless disregard of the fact that the Minor was less than 18 years old when he engaged in commercial sex acts” and also that he had a “reasonable opportunity to observe” that she was a minor.
Gaetz of course has maintained he’s committed no wrongdoing related to the DoJ probe, even releasing a detailed response in September to questions that had been sent to him by the committee. As you might expect, he acted suitably offended.
“Your correspondence of September 4 asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18. The answer to this question is unequivocally NO. You can apply this response to every version of this question, in every forum,” Gaetz said in a statement on his social media account.
This is who Trump wants for Attorney General. One alleged pedophile supporting another alleged pedophile. In the nation’s highest offices.
I wish this was a parody or an SNL skit. Instead, it’s an embarrassing nightmare and a huge waste of time and taxpayer dollars. Thank you, deranged Trump supporters. We’re paying for what you wished for.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery.
