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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Gaetz Gets Got

Gaetz Gets Got

by John Cole|  March 30, 20216:48 pm| 172 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, The Republican Crime Syndicate

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Interesting:

Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him, according to three people briefed on the matter.

Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value. The Justice Department regularly prosecutes such cases, and offenders often receive severe sentences.

It was not clear how Mr. Gaetz met the girl, believed to be 17 at the time of encounters about two years ago that investigators are scrutinizing, according to two of the people.

That certainly puts these rumors this morning in a new light:

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he’s seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios.

Hrmm. Maybe Gym Jordan can help him out.

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Reader Interactions

172Comments

  1. 1.

    rk

    March 30, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    Bet there are a lot more girls who will come forward. I’d be shocked if it’s only one girl.

  2. 2.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    So…the mystery of why Gaetz was babbling last night about leaving Congress for Newsmax is becoming a lot clearer.

    That shit’s probably legal in Florida though.  Hell, he’ll probably end up a senator.

  3. 3.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    Ooooh, as a member of the “media,” Gaetz’s arrest, prosection, and imprisonment can be spun as the Biden DOJ trying to silence the press.

    The usual suspects are salivating.

  4. 4.

    geg6

    March 30, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    LOLOLOLOLOLOL!  I always had him pegged as a creeper.

    ETA: Hopefully, Nunes is next one in the barrel.

  5. 5.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    Living Trump’s dream, Matt is.

  6. 6.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    Ick.

  7. 7.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    @The Moar You Know:

    That shit’s probably legal in Florida though.  Hell, he’ll probably end up a senator.

    No, no…you’re thinking of Alabama…

  8. 8.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 6:55 pm

    from anti vax to newsmax to supermax: the matt gaetz story https://t.co/mTjSPDvitn

    — Erin Zero Republicans Ryan (@morninggloria) March 30, 2021

  9. 9.

    laura

    March 30, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    For all the carrying on about child sex trafficking, you’d think that the GQP would refrain from their baser instincts….oh who am I kidding. Every accusation is a confession. Sex pestery all the way down.

  10. 10.

    The Dangerman

    March 30, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    Send out a team of men (and women) to arrest his ass. Grabbed by a possee seems appropriate for a Trumper.

  11. 11.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    Ol’ Mattie’s going to be surprised when he finds out that even Newsmax doesn’t want a pedo commentator.  I mean, GQP voters might be fine with it…wait, those are perfectly overlapping circles…never mind.

    Countdown to “FAKE NEWS!” in 3, 2, 1…

  12. 12.

    Princess

    March 30, 2021 at 6:57 pm

    QAnon is all projection. Every bit of it. Attack them for what you are guilty of.

    I guess it’s Schadenfreude for dinner tonight, again.

  13. 13.

    Viva BrisVegas

    March 30, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    Looks like Q was right, except about which party.

    Given that, it’s probably time to start looking for dungeons under buildings used by Republicans.

  14. 14.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    @geg6:

    Yeah, where is all that money coming from??? ?

  15. 15.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 30, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    What’s the over/under on when we find out he’s a statutory rapist?

    Was he running a child sex ring out of a pizza parlor’s basement?

    (It would be irresponsible not to speculate.)

  16. 16.

    JPL

    March 30, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    Twitter said that Major nipped another person today, so Tucker and crew have a new talking point.

  17. 17.

    Ruviana

    March 30, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    What about Nestor?

  18. 18.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    @JPL:

    Poor baby.  Too much stress for him.

  19. 19.

    TheronWare

    March 30, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    May he go down in flames.

  20. 20.

    Cheryl Rofer

    March 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Over the past several weeks my family and I have been victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million while threatening to smear my name.

    We have been cooperating with federal authorities in this matter…

    — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2021

    …of the ongoing extortion investigation.

    I demand the DOJ immediately release the tapes, made at their direction, which implicate their former colleague in crimes against me based on false allegations.

    — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 30, 2021

  21. 21.

    JoyceH

    March 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    @laura: ​
     

    Every accusation is a confession.

    I’ve been saying that since the Clinton administration. Which is why I’ve been a bit… concerned at this sudden onrush of wild claims about Democratic satanic pedophiles.

  22. 22.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    @JPL: Major, major…bud, just hang out in the First State and enjoy a nice carefree, Beltway-free life.

    Before you go, though, here are pictures of five trumpublicans we’d like you to “nip” at the next WH state dinner…

  23. 23.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    Okay, I read Swan piece. Good piece. Gaetz is an imbecile for doing it. He says he is “absolutely” sure none of his GFs were minors. But you can’t read this piece and not be pretty sure Gaetz is toast. He claims the whole thing is part of an extortion … https://t.co/hcmLvilFc9
    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 30, 2021

    2/ plot against him, trying to shake him down for $25 million and that this plot is being run by a former DOJ official. I mean, sounds solid.
    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 30, 2021

    3/ And this: “Gaetz said that for weeks, he and his father been working with the FBI in the Northern District of Florida on the extortion case.” Strong failson energy. Gaetz is almost 40 years old. You really need to work through your sex trafficking investigations on yr own.
    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 30, 2021

  24. 24.

    MisterForkbeard

    March 30, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    Remember, Gaetz is the one who secretly “adopted” a teenage boy, too. By which we mean secretly had him living in his home and didn’t tell anyone or legally adopt him, AFAICT. So I guess we know how he “met” the 17 year old girl.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: What does that even mean?

  26. 26.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    He demands that DOJ release the tapes, but he doesn’t name names. Hmmm.

  27. 27.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    It just wouldn’t be my first instinct if I’d been banging an underage girl to run for national office – and not only that, but to make a point of being an outrageous publicity hound once elected.

    But hey, I’m always willing to consider the possibility that I might be the stupid one and am missing something here.

  28. 28.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: oh sure, I’ll believe him, absolutely… (eyeroll emoji, obvs)

  29. 29.

    MisterForkbeard

    March 30, 2021 at 7:02 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: Sure. This seems believable.

  30. 30.

    dmsilev

    March 30, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    Matt Gaetz: "I have definitely, in my single days, provided for women I've dated. 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." https://t.co/ZFbZaZ8ice— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) March 30, 2021

    I’m not sure that’s the approach to take when under investigation for interstate sex trafficking. Or maybe it is; I’m proud to say I have no first-hand experience on the question.
    Also,

    I am now expecting that Donald Trump will adopt Matt Gaetz.— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) March 30, 2021

  31. 31.

    Rocks

    March 30, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    It doesn’t count unless it was in the basement of a pizza parlor.

  32. 32.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 30, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    @Princess:

    I guess it’s Schadenfreude for dinner tonight, again. 

    Have it for a side tonight. ?

  33. 33.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 7:04 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    So it’s a frame up.

  34. 34.

    Cheryl Rofer

    March 30, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    The fact that Gaetz already has put forth two stories in his defense suggests something like panic.

  35. 35.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    @JPL:

    Bastard’s continuing TFG’s work: sliming the DOJ. ?

  36. 36.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    .

  37. 37.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer:  oh man.  The boy is going down in flames.  Has he been calling Giuliani?

    Story A:  I’m just a really generous lover-man.

    Story B:  I’m being blackmailed for 25 million bucks.

    Rule #1:  Pick one and stick to it.  Even Rudy knows that, so I guess he didn’t call him.

  38. 38.

    Suzanne

    March 30, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    I wish I knew a QAnon person so I could point and laugh at them right now.
    Every accusation is a confession!

  39. 39.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: I’m glad that this investigation started under Barr…it will make it that much harder for Gaetz and Gaetz-allied wingnutz to claim that this was started under the reign of Merrick the Merciless.

  40. 40.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    @dmsilev: I’m not sure that’s the approach to take when under investigation for interstate sex trafficking. Or maybe it is; I’m proud to say I have no first-hand experience on the question.

    You probably also don’t go around bragging that you’re certain none of your girlfriends were minors.

    Also:

    You know, I’ve paid for flights, for hotel rooms.

    So plenty of credit card records. And from the flight records, names of the young ladies, all of whom presented ID to board.

  41. 41.

    Delk

    March 30, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    Was he using Nestor as a honeypot?

  42. 42.

    zhena gogolia

    March 30, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    @laura:

    inorite

  43. 43.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    @Ken:

    You probably also don’t go around bragging that you’re certain none of your girlfriends were minors.

    Or keep it all intrastate.

  44. 44.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    Rep Matt Gaetz should be taken off the @HouseJudiciary Committee until the @TheJusticeDept investigation is completed. He should not be sitting on a Congressional Committee with oversight over the DOJ while the Department is investigating him. https://t.co/TKRfSyCgHe— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 30, 2021

  45. 45.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 30, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: “while threatening to smear my good name” would’ve made it a laugh riot.

  46. 46.

    Suzanne

    March 30, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    @dmsilev:

    I’m not sure that’s the approach to take when under investigation for interstate sex trafficking. Or maybe it is; I’m proud to say I have no first-hand experience on the question. 

    I also have never been investigated for interstate sex trafficking, but I strongly suspect that you are right.

  47. 47.

    karen marie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    Did you all hear me SCREAM when I read the first paragraph of this post?

    Yeah, you knew it had to be something bad.  When Gaetz announced his engagement, I figured something hinky was going on.

  48. 48.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    @germy:

    By that standard, there would be no Republicans left on the committee.

  49. 49.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 7:11 pm

    Congratulations to the Ponce de Leon Lady Pirates Basketball Team for winning the Girls Florida 1A Division Championship with a 22-2 season!

    So great to meet and congratulate you all today in person! #OpenGaetz pic.twitter.com/oHSzf243bO

    — Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 30, 2021

  50. 50.

    Butter Emails

    March 30, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    @JoyceH:

    I’ve been saying that since the Clinton administration. Which is why I’ve been a bit… concerned at this sudden onrush of wild claims about Democratic satanic pedophiles.

    I too have been concerned about this. Now I’m thinking about the accusations that Democrats are actual demons and aliens. Makes one think.

  51. 51.

    artem1s

    March 30, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has privately told confidants he’s seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax, three sources with direct knowledge of the talks tell Axios.

    has someone told Matt it’s not that kind of job at NewsMax?

    Obligatory

    My dear family, guess what. Today I found out what my special purpose is for. Gosh what a great time I had. I wish my whole family could have been here with me. Maybe some other time as I intend to do this a lot. Every chance I get. I think next week I’ll be able to send some more money as I may have extra work. My friend Patty promised me a blow job. Your loving son, Navin

  52. 52.

    CaseyL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    I’d like to know why Barr’s DoJ opened the case at all – banging underage girls can’t possibly be considered a crime in GQP circles (we should be glad they weren’t pubescent), and Gaetz was already as loyal as you can be to the Right, so it wasn’t about leverage. So why did Barr bother?

  53. 53.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: riiiiiiiiiight….

  54. 54.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    March 30, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    “Matt Gaetz is being brought down because liberal Democrats and their media enablers want to wreck the reputation of everyone who challenges their control of the corporate narrative.”

    – Glenn Greenwald, probably

  55. 55.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    March 30, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    Not having to look at this guy on a regular basis would make things better

  56. 56.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 7:14 pm

    If there’s ever a scandal about me, *please* call it Elongate

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 25, 2021

    Deal. I want Gaetzgate. https://t.co/MB8sYjwJcT

    — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) March 25, 2021

  57. 57.

    dmsilev

    March 30, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    @Ken: They’re all from Canada; you wouldn’t know them.

  58. 58.

    Hungry Joe

    March 30, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    I sometimes try to play a mind-game trick on myself: Pretend that hated figures like McConnell, Gaetz, Cruz, Boebert, even Trump, are solid, honest, good-hearted progressive folk. I mean, there’s no reason why people with faces like that couldn’t be. But my brain can’t make the switch; the aura of evil is now hard-wired in.

    While it’s impossible to escape that category, one can tumble into it from a once-vaunted spot. John Edwards looked just fine to me … until he didn’t. When the awful facts emerged, all of a sudden the sleaze was obvious. What a creep! And it was all over his face! How could I have failed to notice it?

  59. 59.

    Delk

    March 30, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Is there a pee tape?
    Was Roy Moore involved? What about Falwell Jr?

  60. 60.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @Baud: the first two questions I always ask: (1) how old was she, and (2) did you cross a state line?

  61. 61.

    M31

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value.

    “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I propose to you that sex with Rep. Gaetz was valued at approximately negative 3 million dollars, and so, in fact, nothing of value was exchanged. I rest my case.”

  62. 62.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @karen marie:

    Nice back for a beard.

  63. 63.

    Jeffro

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Is anyone keeping a running tab of all the ways that karma has caught up to trumpublicans over the past few years?  It must be tremendous.

    • Bill O lost his show
    • Rush…died
    • Gaetz: under investigation
    • the whole trumpov kkklan: under investigation, out of power, mostly ignored (when they’re not coked out of their minds or wedding-crashing)
    • MyPillow guy losing money right and left
    • Sidney Powell and Rudy G being sued for billions

    who am I forgetting?

  64. 64.

    dmsilev

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @germy: Gaetz aside, does the guy who got sued for defaming a rescue diver as ‘pedoguy’ really want to make that pun?

  65. 65.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @germy:

    I love how the first reply was asking Gaetz if he bought them all a round of drinks

  66. 66.

    JPL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Has trump disowned him yet?

  67. 67.

    germy

    March 30, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @Hungry Joe: 

    All Republicans get the faces they deserve.

  68. 68.

    The Thin Black Duke

    March 30, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    This smile may never leave my face.

  69. 69.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:18 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Negotiating union contracts is quite different than what I would have guessed.

  70. 70.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    @dmsilev: “you know, I’ve paid for sex…”

  71. 71.

    Old Man Shadow

    March 30, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    @CaseyL: Trump has no loyalty to anyone unless that person has the goods on him for something illegal.

    There’s no reason he’d help Gaetz.

  72. 72.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @The Thin Black Duke:

    ???

  73. 73.

    Mary G

    March 30, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    Refusal to allow sex ed has allowed all kinds of weird shit to develop in right wingers:

    I had to go back and take a picture because I knew nobody would believe that this is a real sign outside Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/ZA5t317vrr— Sergeant Pup (@SergeantPup) March 29, 2021

  74. 74.

    MomSense

    March 30, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    @Ruviana:

    This is going to get so weird and so ugly.

  75. 75.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    @Mary G:

    Jesus Christ laid eggs?

  76. 76.

    MomSense

    March 30, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @Mary G:

    Wow.  They really think rabbits lay eggs?

  77. 77.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    March 30, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @M31:

    “On one hand, Rep. Gaetz’ young lovers were treated to nice accommodations and top tier meals and spirits. On the other hand, they had to get intimate with Rep. Gaetz, so it is really a wash.”

  78. 78.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @Baud: maybe I handle it differently from most labor lawyers…that would explain my last performance review!

  79. 79.

    Roger Moore

    March 30, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @CaseyL: ​
     

    I’d like to know why Barr’s DoJ opened the case at all

    It was probably some career civil servant at DOJ who did this, not one of the higher-up political types. Either that, or someone else who wanted a Congressional seat figured it would be easier with Gaetz out of the way.

  80. 80.

    geg6

    March 30, 2021 at 7:26 pm

    Isn’t Gaetz good buddies with TFG, Jr?

    I think they are both giant cokeheads.  And that crazy eyed girlfriend of Jr.’s has some weird predilections, based on what I read about how she treated her assistants.  All these people are sickos.

  81. 81.

    MomSense

    March 30, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    @Baud:

    Maybe they just really really need some eggs.

  82. 82.

    Raoul Paste

    March 30, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    I just hope the young girls involved are not horribly smeared on national TV.    But fortunately, that’s a hard case to make .   Under age is under age

  83. 83.

    raven

    March 30, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    An official just collapsed on the court in the Gonzaga-USC game. It doesn’t look good.

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    March 30, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    @germy: For real? He can’t be that stupid, can he?

  85. 85.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:29 pm

    @MomSense:

    Jesus said so, so yes.

  86. 86.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:29 pm

     

    @raven:

    Yikes!

  87. 87.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    @raven: damn—now the officials are flopping too?  They must have watched Notre dame losing to Georgia too many times.

  88. 88.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    March 30, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    @raven:

    I’ve always been surprised that doesn’t happen more.

  89. 89.

    JPL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    So does this mean that Matt’s engagement is off?

  90. 90.

    dmsilev

    March 30, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    @MomSense: 

    Wow. They really think rabbits lay eggs?

    Cadbury has gotten very good with their genetic engineering. Also, not enough is said about the tragic overcrowding in the Peep hatcheries.

  91. 91.

    raven

    March 30, 2021 at 7:31 pm

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: He’s up!!!

     

    My dad had a good friend officiating a MSU-Illinois game and he died on the field. You couldn’t have medical care closer but it wasn’t enough. This is much better.

  92. 92.

    WaterGirl

    March 30, 2021 at 7:32 pm

    @JPL: coffee boy.

  93. 93.

    stacib

    March 30, 2021 at 7:34 pm

    @JPL: I saw this earlier today.  That dog needs to go home to Delaware and stay there.  Two “bites” and he’s only been there under two months – that’s too much.  I’ve been bitten by a Shepard before, and I still have the scars some 50 years later.  I did exactly as the Officer Friendly (who has visited my school the previous week) suggested when I saw the dog and it’s owner approaching.  I sat absolutely still on the bike I was riding to let them pass, and that dog bit the shit out of me.  Wrapped his entire mouth around my 10-year old thigh.  Major may be the sweet dog Biden says he is, but for right now, he needs to be removed from around strangers.

  94. 94.

    counterfactual

    March 30, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    @CaseyL: It spun out of an investigation of Florida GOP fixer Joel Greenberg, who got indicted last July for a number of sex trafficking charges.

  95. 95.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 30, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    @Mary G: Do these assclowns believe human women lay eggs too?  (Yes.)

  96. 96.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    March 30, 2021 at 7:36 pm

    Only the best people!

  97. 97.

    mrmoshpotato

    March 30, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    @MomSense:

    This is going to get so weird and so ugly. 

    We aren’t already there?  Eek!

  98. 98.

    raven

    March 30, 2021 at 7:38 pm

    @stacib: I had that happen to me when I was in grad school. The dog was on a porch and I was on my bike. He went all the way around the bike and bit me on the leg. Animal control was no help so I went down and banged on the door. A guy came to the door and I lit his ass up. He looked at me, broke into tears and said “It’s not my dog and my best friend just died in the Valu Jet crash”!

  99. 99.

    karen marie

    March 30, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    On a completely different note, this lovely woman designed and made a desk chair/dog bed for people who have a needy dog.  It’s terrific!

  100. 100.

    Redshift

    March 30, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    @The Moar You Know:

    That shit’s probably legal in Florida though. 

    Even if it was, “across state lines” means that can’t save him.

  101. 101.

    Redshift

    March 30, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    @MomSense:

    This is going to get so weird and so ugly. 

    But enough about Gaetz’s looks…

  102. 102.

    Kattails

    March 30, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    @M31: harsh but fair.

  103. 103.

    Baud

    March 30, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    @raven:

    It’s not my dog and my best friend just died in the Valu Jet crash

     
    Is it too soon to LOL?

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    March 30, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    @JPL: I think it’s weird that the Axios article specifically mentions “sex with women“.  Maybe this is all a cover because of his “adopted” secret boy?

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    March 30, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    @stacib: The first “bite” never even broke the skin.  Let’s see what this one was – it may be way overblown, also.

  106. 106.

    John Cole

    March 30, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    This was a good title for a post and you swine did not appreciate it.

  107. 107.

    JPL

    March 30, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    @WaterGirl: Oh my..   How soon before we hear about threesomes    triple ick

  108. 108.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    Even if it was, “across state lines” means that can’t save him.

    @Redshift: oh, I know.  Dude’s hosed.  He can do this the easy way or the hard way.  My bet, because he’s fucking stupid, is that he will do it the hard way.

  109. 109.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    @WaterGirl: They are all live girls, so it’s OK according to (googles) Rep. Edwin Edwards.

    (At least, I assume they’re all alive. Depends how much projection was involved with the pizza parlor stories, I suppose.)

  110. 110.

    randal m sexton

    March 30, 2021 at 7:57 pm

    So, Matt Gaetz is the Roy Moore of Jeffery Epsteins ?   I never know what these things exactly mean but I can make them up now.   And my 64 year old azzz gonna get THE jab inna week, OMFG!!

  111. 111.

    trollhattan

    March 30, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    A girl? That part at least, surprises.

    Diaper Dave Vitter can help. ‘Tis barely a flesh wound for a Republican.

  112. 112.

    Kattails

    March 30, 2021 at 7:58 pm

    @stacib:I am in total agreement.  A neighbor of mine has a huge dog idiotically named Puppy who she thinks is just fine.  The dog would nip people, rush people out in the road, had to be bodily constrained by her partner one time when I came to the plate glass door or it would have gone through it.  But it was always “she’s just being protective”.  Puppy rushed at me one day when I stopped in the road, stepped out of the car to say hi. Really menacing. I’ve gotten this before from dog people–“oh just don’t look straight at them”. how about “oh just keep your damned animal under control”.

    Finally she bit another friend of ours, who was also standing in the road, and what people don’t realize is that it isn’t just the depth of the teeth marks.  Dogs’ jaws are designed for crushing.  It took literally two months for the wound to heal as the tissue between the upper and lower bite marks got necrotic. This was on the front of her leg. I have had more lousy encounters with badly controlled and/or trained dogs than you want to hear about, which is a shame.

  113. 113.

    craigie

    March 30, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    @MomSense:

    Also too, Peter Rabbit has nothing to do with Easter. This is not the rabbit you are looking for.

  114. 114.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 8:08 pm

    @John Cole: song titles or GTFO!

    Also, we are philistines.

  115. 115.

    Steve in the ATL

    March 30, 2021 at 8:09 pm

    @craigie: yeah right—you clearly haven’t read the Bible.

  116. 116.

    Brachiator

    March 30, 2021 at 8:14 pm

    @craigie:

    Also too, Peter Rabbit has nothing to do with Easter. This is not the rabbit you are looking for.

    Hell, I never understood what the Easter Bunny had to do with Easter. Or Easter Bonnets. Or William Bonney for that matter.

  117. 117.

    Kattails

    March 30, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    What I meant to say was that our little Mattie has made my skin crawl from just about the minute I heard about him and his seriously off stories.  Nothing he’s done or said has ever mitigated that, and the Bible thumping only exacerbates it.

  118. 118.

    Barbara

    March 30, 2021 at 8:16 pm

    @The Moar You Know: ​How does leaving Congress help?

  119. 119.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    March 30, 2021 at 8:20 pm

    @geg6: Gov. Gav. sits in the Governor’s Mansion and says, “I’m being recalled, but thank God Almighty, I’m not still married to her.”

  120. 120.

    Barbara

    March 30, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    @stacib: ​I can’t imagine a more stressful living situation for a dog than the White House, but especially for a dog with guardian instincts.

  121. 121.

    trollhattan

    March 30, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    The man has demonstrated an ability to recognize and correct a mistake.

    I still don’t know what happened to her–either her previous self was an act or head trauma &/or drugs happened at some point.

  122. 122.

    Another Scott

    March 30, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    @karen marie: From your link:

    Gaetz sent shockwaves through social media in June when he announced he had a Cuban son, Nestor, who he claimed to have been raising for the past six years. Nestor is the biological brother of Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend and he said at the time he was a “single dad.”

    Why is “biological” there??

    Yeah, there’s a bunch of weird stuff about this guy’s relationships.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  123. 123.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    March 30, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    @trollhattan: I’m going with the drugs, and it’s an ongoing thing.

  124. 124.

    MagdaInBlack

    March 30, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Yup.

  125. 125.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    @Another Scott: Why is “biological” there??

    Emphasizes his family values. Perfectly normal relationship, nothing weird going on.

    Though if it turns out his “son” is the older brother of one of his ex-girlfriends, well…

  126. 126.

    WaterGirl

    March 30, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    @Another Scott: @Ken:

    That’s how I felt when I saw the word “women” in something I read about him earlier today… where they specified that it was sex with WOMEN that he was being investigated for.

    Seemed really weird and really creepy.  There is something very not right about him.

  127. 127.

    zhena gogolia

    March 30, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    @stacib:

    Yeah, unfortunately I think he shouldn’t be in the White House.

  128. 128.

    Sebastian

    March 30, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    Is that around the time when he turned into super fanboy for TFG or was he already onboard before that?

  129. 129.

    Another Scott

    March 30, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    @Brachiator: Stolen from pagan spring fertility festivals, etc.

    Of course. ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  130. 130.

    Another Scott

    March 30, 2021 at 8:41 pm

    @zhena gogolia: I assume that he’ll be restricted to the Residence until he’s less mouthy around people.

    We’ll see.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  131. 131.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 30, 2021 at 8:45 pm

    @WaterGirl: So it wasn’t just me?

    Last week he was talking about whether or not he would allow his “son” to go on spring break… It was really weird, and the obvious question that someone may have asked, but I don’t know: Does he pay his “son’s” tuition?

  132. 132.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    If I had to pick between my dog and the presidency I’d resign tomorrow.  I hope they can get this worked out.  Major is young; he can be trained out of this.

  133. 133.

    craigie

    March 30, 2021 at 8:46 pm

    @Barbara:

    It helps us a lot. Him, not so much.

  134. 134.

    The Moar You Know

    March 30, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    That’s how I felt when I saw the word “women” in something I read about him earlier today… where they specified that it was sex with WOMEN that he was being investigated for.

    Gaetz is a valuable resource to the Republican Party.  He will stay one even if the young lady in question is underage (see Moore, Roy).  But they’ll have to introduce him to the underside of the bus if there’s been any male/male shenanigans going on.  Which there obviously has been, but let’s see just how long his GOP handlers and the media can keep that under wraps.

  135. 135.

    Gin & Tonic

    March 30, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    Since I’m among friends, I’ll admit that I knew that girlfriend back in 1971 was underage (as was I.) But, you know, after over four decades of marriage, three kids and two grandkids, I don’t suspect she’ll go to the FBI.

  136. 136.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    March 30, 2021 at 8:56 pm

    Not just us:

    Jeet Heer @HeerJeet 1h
    To be honest, I was expecting a very different Matt Gaetz sex scandal.

    Mrs. Betty Bowers @BettyBowers 3h
    After all that Nestor weirdness, the only thing that shocked me is the word girl.

  137. 137.

    SFAW

    March 30, 2021 at 9:01 pm

    @JPL:

    Has trump disowned him yet?

    Disowned him? Hell, That Fucking Guy is probably admiring Gaetz for boinking a teenager. Although he might also be pissed that Gaetz didn’t share with him.

  138. 138.

    SFAW

    March 30, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    That boy ain’t right.

  139. 139.

    DCrefugee

    March 30, 2021 at 9:07 pm

    Okay…time for a #DadJoke…

    There was this mad scientist. He was researching immortality, and had discovered an extract made from the pineal gland of a mynah bird extended the lives of the porpoises he had in his lab. One day, he ran out of mynah birds, so he left his lab. When he returned to his lab with fresh mynah birds, he discovered a lion sleeping in front of the door. He stepped over the lion and entered the lab, whereupon he was immediately arrested. The charge? Transporting mynahs across a staid lion for immortal porpoises.

    I’ll see myself out…

  140. 140.

    craigie

    March 30, 2021 at 9:10 pm

    @DCrefugee:

    That was a long way to go for that result…

  141. 141.

    West of the Cascades

    March 30, 2021 at 9:15 pm

    @DCrefugee: sounds like a violation of the Florida Mann Act.

  142. 142.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    @WaterGirl: That’s how I felt when I saw the word “women” in something I read about him earlier today… where they specified that it was sex with WOMEN that he was being investigated for.

    Was it Gaetz’s people trying to get out ahead of the story, but in that “doth protest too much” style that’s probably somewhere in TV Tropes?  “Rep. Gaetz wants to emphasize that all his dates have been with adult women, absolutely no little blonde girls or burly men.  And all the women were still alive at the time of the date.”

  143. 143.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    @craigie: That was a long way to go for that result…

    Actually it was condensed from the usual way of telling it.

    (And I’ve also heard it as “state lion”, which requires a long digression about the accident with the truck from the state zoo. But I rather prefer this version because of the word change; “staid lion” vs. “state line”.)

  144. 144.

    Warblewarble

    March 30, 2021 at 9:23 pm

    GAETZLIGHTING.

  145. 145.

    Martin

    March 30, 2021 at 9:31 pm

    I bet one million quatloos that  the so-called extortion was someone close to Trump who was willing to get him a Trump pardon for a large enough sum.

  146. 146.

    jonas

    March 30, 2021 at 9:38 pm

    @Viva BrisVegas: ​
      Given that, it’s probably time to start looking for dungeons under buildings used by Republicans.

    The cops who finally break down those doors will probably need years of therapy…

  147. 147.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 9:43 pm

    @jonas: For some reason I’m thinking of the scene in The Choirboys where the cops raid the S&M parlor.

  148. 148.

    Kay

    March 30, 2021 at 9:50 pm

    Aaron Rupar
    @atrupar
    · 1h
    0:24
    Gaetz mentions that someone has alleged there’s photos of him with child prostitutes. He claims such pictures don’t exist.

    “Someone” has alleged this.

  149. 149.

    geg6

    March 30, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    @Kattails:

    To be fair, I’d always disliked cats because I had an inordinate number of encounters with other people’s cats where I got bitten. I have a cat of my own now and she hasn’t bitten anyone, other than love nips, ever since she was a kitten.  Don’t blame the animal.  Young shelter dogs like Major almost always grow out of it with loving owners.  If it’s happening with an adult dog, it’s the owner who is responsible for the dog’s terrible discipline 90%+ of the time.

  150. 150.

    debbie

    March 30, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    @Ken:

    God, he has people?

  151. 151.

    Miss Bianca

    March 30, 2021 at 9:55 pm

    @Mary G: Man, the replies to that tweet are comedy gold.

     

    @karen marie: wow, that’s cool.

  152. 152.

    Morzer

    March 30, 2021 at 9:57 pm

    Well, color me amazed that an aggressively creepy member of the Trumpedopublicans turns out to be a Trumpedopublican.

  153. 153.

    EmanG

    March 30, 2021 at 10:01 pm

    There’s a joke I can’t remember that ends with: He was arrested for transporting a mynah across staid lions for immoral porpoises….

  154. 154.

    J R in WV

    March 30, 2021 at 10:06 pm

    Rachael Maddow started her show with a very long discussion of the county tax guy in a small FLA county… which was interesting, guy bought guns and body armor and badges for his groomsmen friends whom he hired, then started a private for profit company he ran out of the county tax department. Then got busted for lots of chicanery. Then underage girls.

    Then she linked that scandal to Matt Gaetz’s underage girl scandal… Oops Matt, guess you done f’ed up BAD!

    I also wonder about the demonology, dungeons under the RNC HQ, underage girls on salary with various Republican election committees, everything Qanon could dream up, only with Republicans as the evildoers.

  155. 155.

    SiubhanDuinne

    March 30, 2021 at 10:13 pm

    @MomSense:

    The only eggs I eat are from Cage-Free Christ.

  156. 156.

    cokane

    March 30, 2021 at 10:14 pm

    The Liberal Case for Fucking Teenagers

    By Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi

    go ahead and steal it for twitter, @DougJ, It’d make me happy

  157. 157.

    Ken

    March 30, 2021 at 10:17 pm

    @Kay: Definitely trying too hard to get out in front of the story.

  158. 158.

    Patricia Kayden

    March 30, 2021 at 10:22 pm

    Now, I'm no bloodhound, but smells like Matt Gaetz was ho'in' for Trump in hopes of having that investigation go away.— Jeffrey Wright (@jfreewright) March 31, 2021

  159. 159.

    Kay

    March 30, 2021 at 10:23 pm

    Aaron Rupar
    @atrupar
    Replying to
    @atrupar
    Gaetz concludes by saying he’s a victim because “I’m a well-known, outspoken conservative, and I guess that’s out of style in a lot of parts of the country right now.” (The investigation of him began when Trump was still in office.)

    I don’t know- sounds more and more like “across state lines” to me.

  160. 160.

    Kay

    March 30, 2021 at 10:27 pm

    @Ken:

    Aaron Rupar
    @atrupar
    Matt Gaetz vows to Tucker Carlson he didn’t “travel” with a 17-year-old, but his denial seems pretty specific and carefully worded

    I get impatient with this parsing from my people – they can’t try this with me! :)

    “specific”

  161. 161.

    Kay

    March 30, 2021 at 10:30 pm

    @Ken:

    They always act like you’re putting on airs when you use the word, too. “Travel? I didn’t TRAVEL. I just went there”.

    OMFG you could scream.

  162. 162.

    Villago Delenda Est

    March 30, 2021 at 10:55 pm

    @West of the Cascades: ISWYDT

  163. 163.

    Yutsano

    March 30, 2021 at 11:06 pm

    @Mary G: There’s a guy running for insurance commissioner in Sergeant Pup’s feed that we might want to consider doing some ActBlue love for.

    Democratic state Rep. Matthew Wilson (@mwilsonGA) is expected to launch a bid for Insurance Commissioner against incumbent Republican John King. Wilson, a Brookhaven attorney, would be the first openly LGBTQ candidate elected statewide in Georgia if he wins. #gapol pic.twitter.com/gVXxqvipi4— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 30, 2021

  164. 164.

    brendancalling

    March 30, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    I’m sure someone else has already shit posted this but…

    https://youtu.be/GlN3oEjMpUQ

  165. 165.

    yellowdog

    March 30, 2021 at 11:49 pm

    @SFAW: How do we know he didn’t?

  166. 166.

    AnotherBruce

    March 31, 2021 at 12:00 am

    @Jeffro: David Koch died in 2019.

  167. 167.

    Nettoyeur

    March 31, 2021 at 12:30 am

    @Viva BrisVegas: Hmm. Ghislaine  may know.

  168. 168.

    Shalimar

    March 31, 2021 at 12:41 am

    @Another Scott: Another weird aspect of that story is that Nestor’s sister who Gaetz dated is apparently deceased now.  She would be mid to late 20s.  What happened to her?

  169. 169.

    Morzer

    March 31, 2021 at 3:11 am

    @Ken: 

    Throwing himself under the wheels of the story bus.

  170. 170.

    Ben Cisco

    March 31, 2021 at 8:02 am

    @John Cole: I just saw it Cole, and I wholeheartedly agree.

  171. 171.

    Morzer

    March 31, 2021 at 8:20 am

    @John Cole: 

    You gave the post a title?

  172. 172.

    sheldon vogt

    March 31, 2021 at 11:23 am

    @Delk: Holding out hope for Franklin Graham.

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