POLITICUSUSA
Understanding the role white rage has played historically in undermining the economic well-being of people of color as well as white Americans is crucial to overcoming racism to create an economy that serves the needs of all.
Anyone who listened to his show over the last 4 years would assume that Tucker Carlson was a big fan of Donald Trump. Over the last couple of months, though, a number of stories have come out about the Fox host not being as enthusiastic about the former president.
Republicans promote an ignorance that delights in repeating history, even it results in deadly massacres.
In an ironic twist, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Flo.), who is currently under federal investigation for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in 2019 and whether he may have violated federal sex trafficking laws by paying her to travel with him across state lines, announced that he would like pop star Britney Spears to testify before Congress about her experience under the abusive conservatorship led by her father that has robbed her of her agency and ability to control her own finances for the last 13 years.
Gaetz appeared to laud Spears for sharing her story publicly for the first time following years of speculation from her fanbase that she is being kept from living a full life under the conservatorship despite being lucid, functional, and able to perform. Spears’s remarks were an official confirmation from the star herself that she is being abused.
“Britney Spears wants to tell her story to the world,” Gaetz said. “She wants to use the experiences that have happened to her to cause broader change, and I think we ought to give her that opportunity in the United States Congress.”
Britney Spears wants to tell her story to the world.
She wants to use the experiences that have happened to her to cause broader change, and I think we ought to give her that opportunity in the United States Congress. #FreeBritney pic.twitter.com/dggL8PES1o
The Trump White House never felt the need to tell their voters the truth. Kellyanne Conway perfectly represented this ideal when speaking about Sean Spicer. Trump’s first press secretary never lied to the American people, she claimed, he just offered “alternative facts.”
And alternative facts have become the norm in the Conservative world. The latest push from Fox and the GOP is the critical race theory argument. When Matt Gaetz tried to use this talking point on Wednesday, though, he was expertly taken down by Joint Chief Chairman Mark Milley.
Nicolle Wallace and Tim Miller discussed the moment during Wednesday’s Deadline White House. Miller remarked, “It wasn’t just that brat, Matt Gaetz, it also was Dan Crenshaw (R-NC) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) had started this effort where they are asking for whistleblowers inside the military to report to them, not to their commander, but to these members of congress if they see any instances of ‘wokism’ in the military among their commanders or people at the Pentagon. I just think that that is an astonishing and horrific undermining of Gen. Milley, undermining of our military.”
Nicolle Wallace says that GOP lawmakers like Josh Hawley rely on their voters being too dumb to Google them. pic.twitter.com/tCq8uatNfq
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) June 23, 2021
Ron DeSantis has spent much of the last year bragging about how the state of Florida has combated the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that the state is in the top 5 in the nation in cases and deaths, the Governor has regularly touted his leadership.
Rebekah Jones is a scientist who formerly worked for the Florida Department of Health. She claims that she was fired for her claims that DeSantis had been hiding the state’s real COVID data. And after the governor recently celebrated her temporary suspension from Twitter, Jones announced that she would be challenging Matt Gaetz for his congressional seat.
A spokesperson for the governor released a statement yesterday that read in part, “The decision (to suspend Jones) was long overdue. Rebekah Jones is the Typhoid Mary of COVID-19 disinformation and has harmed many hardworking DOH employees with her defamatory conspiracy.
.@GovRonDeSantis’ office on Rebekah Jones Twitter suspension pic.twitter.com/a5jR0YTRtb
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) June 7, 2021
Jones responded to the message via her Instagram account. She wrote, “Didn’t want to announce it this way, but since DeSantis is now taking credit for getting me suspended for sharing an article that proves he’s a sociopathic liar, it looks like I have to say it this way. I’m running for Matt Gaetz’ seat next year. No more sex traffickers in congress!”
Two weeks ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed his pet bill against Big Tech censorship.
Yesterday, he celebrated when whistleblower Rebekah Jones got banned from Twitter.
Now, she's coming for @mattgaetz's seat in Congress to force DeSantis to defend her account.
IRONIC. pic.twitter.com/8CFyg7CVVz
Back in late March, Axios published a story about Matt Gaetz retiring from congress and working in Conservative media. The story seemed odd at the time. The Florida Rep. was seemingly on the rise in the party.
Gaetz had connected himself tightly to Donald Trump. He went as far as threatening Michael Cohen the day before the Trump lawyer was set to testify in front of congress. He later apologized to Speaker Pelosi for his actions.
The Florida Rep. has also been given high profile assignments within the party. He was one of the main speakers this year at the Conservative CPAC story.
But just a day after the Axios story, it became clear why Gaetz was in a hurry to leave the House of Representatives. The New York Times reported that the GOP lawmaker was under investigation for sex trafficking.
This week, Reuters published a report that gave more insight into Gaetz’s plea to the Conservative network. Newsmax spokesperson, Brian Peterson, told the news outlet, “
Newsmax has had no plans to hire Rep. Gaetz.”
Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) did not mince words on the subject of Representative Matt Gaetz, who sparked significant controversy after he gave a speech urging Americans to use their Second Amendment rights.
“Four months after an insurrection at the Capitol, we’re hearing this language at another rally where so-called ‘leaders’ are stoking fears & anger and inciting violence,” Kinzinger tweeted in response to a clip of Gaetz’s speech in Georgia during a stop on his “America First” tour.
This is why we need a January 6 commission. Four months after an insurrection at the Capitol, we’re hearing this language at another rally where so-called “leaders” are stoking fears & anger and inciting violence. https://t.co/DEaKjKR9ph
Mitch McConnell runs a pretty right ship. And as a result, he seemingly has GOP senators in lock-step behind him. The Kentucky senator has moved on from Donald Trump and has advised his colleagues to do the same.
Things are much different in the House of Representatives. Kevin McCarthy was originally critical about Donald Trump inciting an insurrection. But after a visit to Mar-a-Lago, the house minority leader quickly changed his tune.
Still, nothing is ever enough for the MAGA wing of the Republican party. As a result, some congresspeople are gunning for McCarthy’s job. That includes controversial congresswoman Lauren Boebert.
Boebert, who might be best known for tweeting out Nancy Pelosi‘s whereabouts during the January 6th insurrection, said during a Newsmax interview, “But, you know, maybe one day when I’m Speaker of the House, my first action will be to take those metal detectors and use them as target practice. In the congressional complex, I am my own security… until I get into Pelosi’s House — it’s certainly not the people’s House — where we have to go through the metal detectors.”
Matt Gaetz, who is desperate to distract from his current scandal, was more than happy to co-sign Boebert’s idea. He tweeted, “Lauren Boebert would make a fantastic Speaker of the House!”
While the idea of Boebert as Speaker of the House is seemingly ridiculous, anything is possible with the current iteration of the Republican party.
If the last 5 years showed us anything, it is that Republicans are willing to defend basically any action. How else could you have Donald Trump as your party’s standard bearer.
The investigation into Matt Gaetz, though, has been a good test for the GOP. The lunatics in the party, like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan defended him. Most others, however, have stayed silent on the matter.
The View’s Joy Behar and Meghan McCain got into a tiff on Tuesday when Behar called out the party for refusing to condemn the Florida lawmaker. Behar began:
“This all adds up to bad news for Gaetz, but he’s out there, having fun, enjoying himself, making jokes about it because he feels like he has cover in the Republican Party, because as I said, they don’t care what you do there as long as you say that Trump won the election.”
An angered McCain countered, “The Republican Party and people on Capitol Hill are embarrassed by this. I think I have a lot better sourcing on that than you do, Joy. No offense.”
The Conservative talking head continued, “It’s super disgusting. He should go to jail. It’s super embarrassing. I have nothing else to add. It’s gross. He’s a deeply unserious person. He should be removed from his committees…Matt Gaetz is a pervert who should go to jail. The end.”
WILL FORMER GAETZ ASSOCIATE TURN ON HIM? After Rep. Matt Gaetz’s former ally Joel Greenberg pled guilty to sex trafficking charges and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, the co-hosts discuss as the congressman denies any wrongdoing. https://t.co/UX4lcdadA2 pic.twitter.com/aY9QCZxPry
A few weeks back, news broke that Matt Gaetz was under investigation for sex trafficking. The Florida congressman’s immediate reaction was to go on Tucker Carlson‘s show and plead his innocence. The spot went off the rails quickly will the host saying it was one of the craziest he has ever conducted.
Since then, Gaetz hasn’t stayed quiet. He’s even gone on tour with Marjorie Taylor Greene, another controversial GOP Rep. The walls could be closing in for the Florida lawmaker, though. During a Monday MSNBC appearance, former federal prosecutor Harry Litman said there is a “mountain of evidence against Gaetz.
Litman explained to host Nicolle Wallace:
“If as all indications suggest, we’re talking about Gaetz and that plea agreement said he also had — that this woman — or girl really had sex with other men that he brought in and had drugs with her first and the like, Gaetz is in a terrible position and really there’s a mountain of evidence already against him and they have shown it in this very document. All of which Greenberg signed off on and said in front of the court, which made a finding, that this is accurate and what would be proven if he went to trial.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQqjKJ607o
Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Seminole County, Florida and an associate of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.) has formally pleaded guilty to six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. He also pleaded guilty to producing a false identification document, identity theft, wire fraud, stalking, and conspiracy.
The guilty plea came several days after he struck a deal that requires him to provide “substantial evidence” to prosecutors, which could result in him having his sentence––a mandatory minimum of 12 years in prison with a maximum life sentence––reduced.
Federal authorities are still investigating Gaetz on child sex trafficking charges after it emerged that the Department of Justice launched a probe into whether he victimized a 17-year-old girl and took her across state lines. Gaetz has denied
allegations
Joel Greenberg, the Seminole County tax collector at the center of the federal investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.) is expected to plead guilty to federal charges. The terms of his plea agreement and what charges he might plead guilty to have not yet been made publicly available.
This is a developing story.
Gaetz has denied allegations that he violated sex trafficking laws and engaged in other sexual misconduct while in office. He is currently facing an investigation on child sex trafficking charges after it emerged that the Department of Justice is investigating whether he victimized a 17-year-old girl and taken her across state lines.
In an interview with Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, Gaetz insisted he is the target of an extortion plot and claimed there was no 17-year-old.
“Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you’re dating who are of legal age is not a crime,” he said, adding that he is being targeted because he is ” a well-known, outspoken conservative.”
Things have been quiet on the
Matt Gaetz
Matt Gaetz is radioactive in the Republican party right now. After it was revealed that he was being investigated for sex trafficking, very few of his colleagues spoke on his behalf. Even Donald Trump, who Gaetz has been extremely loyal to, has remained mum on the subject.
In fact, only two Republican lawmakers supported Gaetz in public; Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Greene. It has now been announced that Gaetz and Taylor-Greene will be holding a rally together in Florida.
According to the Washington Examiner, the two Republicans will be going on a America First Tour, holding rallies around the country. The first of these will be at The Villages, a massive retirement community in Florida.
Gaetz said of the tour:
“There are millions of Americans who need to know they still have advocates in Washington D.C., and the America First movement is consistently growing and fighting. The issues that motivate us include ending America’s forever-wars, fixing the border Joe Biden broke on day one, prioritizing Americans not illegal migrants, reshoring industries sold to foreign adversaries, ensuring real election integrity, and taking on the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. These issues are bigger than any one election and we remain ready to take our party and our country back.”
And while Gaetz, dealing with significant issues, has gone silent, many other Republicans continue to take shots at Cheney. The latest was Rep. Mike Kelly who likened the Wyoming congresswoman to a girlfriend that had spurned him.
Former GOP Congressman Denver Riggleman, though, says he’d rather have Cheney in his corner over the Republican bootlickers any way. He told host Nicolle Wallace, “I know it’s hard to believe now but I was a bouncer back in the day, and I want to make a comparison here. You usually identify somebody in that environment, the guy or the gal who’s going to sit next to you in a bar fight.”
Former GOP Congressman says he'd take Liz Cheney over Matt Gaetz in a bar fight any day pic.twitter.com/yWewaTD9AA
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 22, 2021
When news broke that Matt Gaetz was being investigated for sex trafficking, the Florida lawmaker went on the attack. That night, he appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show to give his side of the story.
That appearance, however, spectacularly backfired when Gaetz attempted to connect the host to the charges against him. An irate Carlson said after the spot, “That was one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.”
The Congressman also had a difficult time finding people who were willing to defend him. Even Donald Trump, who Gaetz had been fiercely loyal too, was advised by aides to stay mum on the subject.
Roger Stone, though, was willing to go on a couple of different programs and advocate for his fellow Floridian. But according to a new report from the Daily Beast, “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.”
And Stone quickly went to work. On April 3rd, he told Alex Jones, “He needs to go on offense, this is right upfront in Stone’s Rules. The left-wing, non-journalist, fake-news media are the most vicious, malicious, dishonest people that I have ever come across. All of these stories that are maligning Matt Gaetz today are based on leaks. Where is the beef? Where are the facts? I don’t think there are any facts.”
The defense didn’t last long, though. Just one week later, Stone was refusing to comment on the matter when asked about Gaetz.
Roger Stone, one of Matt Gaetz's most prominent supporters who a week ago was telling the congressman to go on the attack and appear on cable news, has gone silent on the matter. Stone ignored two email requests for comment on why he is now pretending Gaetz doesn't exist.
Matt Gaetz had a quick rise to political success. The Floridian became a Florida State Rep. by the age of 28. And by the time he was 35, he was a ember of the House of Representatives.
The controversial lawmaker had a lot of help in his career, much of it coming from his politician father Don. Don Gaetz is a former President of the Florida Senate.
And according to a new report from Politico, Gaetz has been pulling strings to keep other lawmakers silent about his son’s sex scandal. Gary Fineout writes, “
Don Gaetz all but paved his son’s way into Florida’s political world, and some suggest that his father’s stature and influence is even helping his son as he faces a probe into potential sex trafficking.”
What we need to recognize is that when returned these verdicts will not just tell us about these individual cases; they will foretell whether we are moving toward a political culture of accountability to the nation’s stated ideals.
Joel Greenberg, a tax collector linked to the Justice Department‘s investigation of Representative Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.), is expected to strike a deal and plead guilty by May 15, according to his attorney, Fritz Scheller, Greenberg is the former tax collector for Seminole County.
“If I get a plea agreement in this case, it’s not something I’m going to sign right away I have to go over it with my client and there’s always some pushback in negotiation,” Scheller told reporters following a hearing yesterday.