#matt gaetz congressman

[allnewsroundtheclock]

Exclusive Coverage Here

[chongoblog]

So a lot of political scandals just dropped in the last 24 hours

-NC Governor Candidate Mark Robinson's online posts were found, including some VERY graphic descriptions (like seriously, do not read if you're not 18) of him cheating on his wife, calling himself a black Nazi, and expressing support for reinstituting slavery. His email address was also found on Ashley Madison

-Robert F Kennedy Jr was revealed to be cheating on his wife with a reporter (and that isn't even the weirdest thing since federal law enforcement opened an investigation into him allegedly cutting off the head of a whale and taking it home with him less than 24 hours ago)

-GOP Senate candidate who is the CEO of a bank has been found accepting millions of dollars from what seem to allegedly be Mexican drug cartels.

-Finally, probably the biggest bombshell, according to multiple eyewitness testimonies within sealed sworn affadavits, Congressman Matt Gaetz allegedly invited a 17-year-old girl to a drug-fueld sex party

And we haven't even hit October, folks. Again, these are all still breaking news stories, so things are subject to change, but oh man oh man.

[theonion]

President-elect Donald Trump selected Matt Gaetz as his choice for attorney general. Here is what you need to know about the former Florida congressman. 

[cleolinda]

January 7, 2023

It’s finally over. After days of negotiations and 14 failed ballots—the most since 1860—Republican Kevin McCarthy was officially elected speaker of the House early Saturday morning. In exchange for the necessary votes to get him elected, the congressman had to beg, barter, and plead with a group of hardline Republicans who held out for a litany of concessions.

Since Wednesday, McCarthy and his supporters have been negotiating with several far-right GOPers, including some who have been implicated in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, as my colleague Dan Friedman previously reported. House members like Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Scott Perry (R-Pa.) all held out on their votes, until McCarthy eventually won them over.

According to CNN, here’s what the holdouts got from McCarthy in exchange for the speakership:

Any member can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair

October 3, 2023

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Marco Margaritoff at HuffPost:

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) expressed his sincere bafflement Tuesday about President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, which have caused widespread concern for multiple reasons including that at least four of them have been accused of sexual misconduct. Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who was investigated for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old, to be his attorney general. He also nominated former Fox News host and veteran Pete Hegseth, who was investigated for sexual assault in 2017. McGovern, on the House floor, said these nominations are “beyond insane.” “Someone who is credibly accused of having sex with an underage girl,” the congressman noted Tuesday. “Someone who sucks up to foreign dictators and has attracted major concern that they can’t be trusted to protect America’s secrets from our adversaries.” Trump nominated former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) to be his director of national intelligence, despite concern over her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “Someone who paid hush money to cover up a sexual assault accusation, you know, to lead our military. He’s picked because Donald Trump likes him on Fox News?” McGovern said, referring to Hegseth. “Someone who says that tap water turns kids gay?” he continued. “I mean, this is the dream team? This is the dream team? Really?”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump tapped to be secretary of health and human services, reportedly argued on his podcast in 2022 that man-made chemicals in food and water are acting as “endocrine disruptors” that could be making children homosexual or transgender, pointing to their documented effect of turning some male frogs female. Such effects have not been found in humans. Dr. Andrea Gore, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Texas at Austin, told CNN last year that things in the environment can affect frogs’ sex but sex for humans is set at conception.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) rightly called Donald Trump’s cabinet picks “beyond insane” on the House floor.

[keep-both-eyes-on-trump]

Trump Watch #8

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name for consideration for attorney general after allegations of sex trafficking and drug use threatened to impede his confirmation by the Senate. He posted on X that “it is clear [his] confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.” 

Trump has picked Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, children’s health insurance, and the ACA).

Oz was a prominent cardiothoracic surgeon who became a celebrity doctor with his own daytime series, “The Dr. Oz Show.”

He has a history of endorsing “dubious” and “controversial" products and treatments on his show. 

He promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to treat COVID-19; a treatment theory that was debunked. 

He has, in the past, supported the idea of universal healthcare, but has since revised his stance saying uninsured individuals do not have a right to health. 

Trump has nominated Sean Duffy as transportation secretary. 

Duffy is a former member of the House, former district attorney in Wisconsin,and recent co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business.

He is also a former reality TV star and staunch defender of Trump on cable news.

He has little to no experience in the transportation field.

Trump has chosen Matthew Whitaker to serve as ambassador to NATO. 

Whitaker is a former attorney who also served briefly as acting attorney general during Trump’s first term.

He is likely to share Trump’s opinion that the US is carrying an oversized share of defense spending compared to European allies.

He has little to no experience in foreign or military affairs.

Trump announced Pete Hoekstra to be the US ambassador to Canada. 

Hoekstra is a former congressman

He served as ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump’s first administration.

The Watcher

[schraubd]

Will Matt Gaetz Finally Cause the Senate GOP To Stand Up To Trump? My Money's On No!

I really thought I'd laid the bar on the floor, but somehow Donald Trump has already burrowed under it by announcing (former*) Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general. I had the pleasure of sharing this news with several of my law school colleagues, where it literally provoked a laugh-out-loud howl of incredulity. It wasn't just my people though. Senate Republicans also seem rather blindsided by the pick: The selection of Mr. Gaetz blindsided many of Mr. Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill. The announcement was met with immediate and unvarnished skepticism by Republicans in the Senate who will vote on his nomination. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she was “shocked” by the pick — and predicted a difficult confirmation process. [....] Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, when asked about Mr. Gaetz’s selection, said, “I don’t know the man other than his public persona.” Mr. Cornyn said he could not comment on the chances that Mr. Gaetz, or Tulsi Gabbard, Mr. Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, would be confirmed: “I don’t know — we’ll find out.” “He’s got his work cut out for him,” Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said as other senators dodged questions from reporters. Representative Max Miller, Republican of Ohio, told reporters that many members of the G.O.P. conference were shocked at the choice of Mr. Gaetz for attorney general, but mostly thrilled at the prospect that he might no longer be a member of the chamber. The House, Mr. Miller added, would be a more functional place without Mr. Gaetz. He predicted a bruising confirmation fight, adding that if the process revealed evidence to corroborate the allegations of sex trafficking against Mr. Gaetz, he would not be surprised if the House moved to expel him, as it did with Representative George Santos. Mr. Santos lost his seat after the Ethics Committee documented violations of the chamber’s rules and evidence of extensive campaign fraud.   But things aren't all bad. You'll never guessed who raced ahead of the pack to greet Trump's failson pick with open arms: One of the few lawmakers to offer a positive assessment was a staunch Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who called Mr. Gaetz “smart” and “clever” but predicted tough confirmation hearings. So, how long will it take for the Senate GOP caucus to fall in line? I'm guessing it'll happen before the first confirmation hearing. (That is, if we have confirmation hearings). Oh, and speaking of organizations that have put their dignity in a lockbox, we did finally learn what bridge is too far for the ADL, which blistered the Gaetz selection because of his "long history of trafficking in antisemitism," including "defending the Great Replacement Theory." How he's distinguished from the ADL's glowingly-praised Elise Stefanik, who also promoted Great Replacement Theory, was left unsaid. * Gaetz hastily resigned his seat following the announcement, also getting ahead of a planned House Ethics Committee report that was set to issue findings on Gaetz's myriad, er, "controversies" -- including allegations of sex trafficking minors. Score one for QAnon! via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/WqtsjKg

[lokiinmediasideblog]

FISA 702 HAS PASSED THE HOUSED. WE MUST STOP IT!

Fax your legislators! TELL THEM YOU WON'T VOTE FOR THEM IF THEY VOTE YES ON FISA (Fy-zah) 702!

You can also fax your legislators for FREE at:

From Edward Snowden's Twitter:

If you were mad about your House rep voting to let the government spy on you without a warrant ("FISA 702" - fy-za seven-oh-two), we may have one last shot. CALL YOUR REP @ (202) 224-3121 and say "𝗜𝗳 ����𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟳𝟬𝟮, 𝗜 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂."

From the article link:

House lawmakers voted on Friday to reauthorize section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or Fisa, including a key measure that allows for warrantless surveillance of Americans. The controversial law allows for far-reaching monitoring of foreign communications, but has also led to the collection of US citizens’ messages and phone calls.

Lawmakers voted 273–147 to approve the law, which the Biden administration has for years backed as an important counterterrorism tool. An amendment that would have required authorities seek a warrant failed, in a tied 212-212 vote across party lines.

Donald Trump opposed the reauthorization of the bill, posting to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday: “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!”

The law, which gives the government expansive powers to view emails, calls and texts, has long been divisive and resulted in allegations from civil liberties groups that it violates privacy rights. House Republicans were split in the lead-up to vote over whether to reauthorize section 702, the most contentious aspect of the bill, with Mike Johnson, the House speaker, struggling to unify them around a revised version of the pre-existing law.

Republicans shot down a procedural vote on Wednesday that would have allowed Johnson to put the bill to a floor vote, in a further blow to the speaker’s ability to find compromise within his party. Following the defeat, the bill was changed from a five-year extension to a two-year extension of section 702 – an effort to appease far-right Republicans who believe Trump will be president by the time it expires.

Section 702 allows for government agencies such as the National Security Administration to collect data and monitor the communications of foreign citizens outside of US territory without the need for a warrant, with authorities touting it as a key tool in targeting cybercrime, international drug trafficking and terrorist plots. Since the collection of foreign data can also gather communications between people abroad and those in the US, however, the result of section 702 is that federal law enforcement can also monitor American citizens’ communications.

Section 702 has faced opposition before, but it became especially fraught in the past year after court documents revealed that the FBI had improperly used it almost 300,000 times – targeting racial justice protesters, January 6 suspects and others. That overreach emboldened resistance to the law, especially among far-right Republicans who view intelligence services like the FBI as their opponent.

Trump’s all-caps post further weakened Johnson’s position. Trump’s online remarks appeared to refer to an FBI investigation into a former campaign adviser of his, which was unrelated to section 702. Other far-right Republicans such as Matt Gaetz similarly vowed to derail the legislation, putting its passage in peril.

Meanwhile, the Ohio congressman Mike Turner, Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told lawmakers on Friday that failing to reauthorize the bill would be a gift to China’s government spying programs, as well as Hamas and Hezbollah.

“We will be blind as they try to recruit people for terrorist attacks in the United States,” Turner said on Friday on the House floor.

The California Democratic representative and former speaker Nancy Pelosi also gave a statement in support of passing section 702 with its warrantless surveillance abilities intact, urging lawmakers to vote against an amendment that would weaken its reach.

“I don’t have the time right now, but if members want to know I’ll tell you how we could have been saved from 9/11 if we didn’t have to have the additional warrants,” Pelosi said.

Debate over Section 702 pitted Republicans who alleged that the law was a tool for spying on American citizens against others in the GOP who sided with intelligence officials and deemed it a necessary measure to stop foreign terrorist groups. One proposed amendment called for requiring authorities to secure a warrant before using section 702 to view US citizens’ communications, an idea that intelligence officials oppose as limiting their ability to act quickly. Another sticking point in the debate was whether law enforcement should be prohibited from buying information on American citizens from data broker firms, which amass and sell personal data on tens of millions of people, including phone numbers and email addresses.

Section 702 dates back to the George W Bush administration, which secretly ran warrantless wiretapping and surveillance programs in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. In 2008, Congress passed section 702 as part of the Fisa Amendments Act and put foreign surveillance under more formal government oversight. Lawmakers have renewed the law twice since, including in 2018 when they rejected an amendment that would have required authorities to get warrants for US citizens’ data.

Last year Merrick Garland, the attorney general, and Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, sent a letter to congressional leaders telling them to reauthorize section 702. They claimed that intelligence gained from it resulted in numerous plots against the US being foiled, and that it was partly responsible for facilitating the drone strike that killed the al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in 2022.

[thashining]

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A post shared by The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast)

President-elect Donald Trump appears to be preparing for a culture war on American soil—which could explain why he nominated Fox News TV host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, explained The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy.⁠ ⁠ Hegseth’s nomination has already elicited outrage among some military leaders for comments that “women should not be in combat roles.” He added that women serving in the military has made fighting “more complicated.”⁠ ⁠ Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview Wednesday that his comments reflect his “lack of suitability for the job.”⁠ ⁠ “Anybody that truly knows the military knows that we cannot go to war without over 225,000 women who are serving on active duty right now,” she said. “This is not the revolutionary war where there is some sort of a line in the sand where combat is on one side and the rest of us can stay behind the sun.”⁠ ⁠ She added, “I would ask him, where do you think I lost my legs? In a bar fight? I’m pretty sure it was in combat when that happened, and it just shows how out of touch he is with the nature of modern warfare.”⁠ ⁠ Duckworth predicts “morale would plummet” in the Pentagon with a “mass exodus of professional military officers” that would be the “hollowing out of our military” if Hegseth is confirmed by the Senate for the role.⁠ ⁠ Plus! Stephanie Mencimer, senior reporter at Mother Jones, delves into Trump’s pick for attorney general, former congressman Matt Gaetz, who resigned just as his ethics report was about to be released.⁠ ⁠

[bighermie]

Rep. Matt Gaetz: There are Five Known Assassination Teams in America Out to Kill President Trump, Three of Them Foreign in Nature (AUDIO) | The Gateway Pundit | by Cullen Linebarger

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

Republicans, talking about the garbage fire country they have fucked into a coma: In America, you can be anything you want

Me, looking at the poverty figures: Sure, you can be homeless, starving, hungry, having to choose between rent and basic healthcare

You can be unable to pay for live saving surgery for your family and loved ones

You can even be working three jobs and still barely be able to pay the rent on the shitty accomodation your forced to live in

The clip, which tags conservative influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, concludes by showing a photo of Gomez proudly holding a gun before ending on her “woman on a mission” campaign poster. 

I hope she fails in that mission, much like I hope all Republican trash fail at every single thing they attempt to do :D

Because I utterly fucking despise every last one of them :D

The far-right candidate, who has described disgraced Republican Matt Gaetz as “the greatest congressman in history”

If she believes that, she probably also thinks John Wayne Gacy is the greatest birthday clown who ever lived

[reading-writing-revolution]

Hacker Is Said to Have Gained Access to File With Damaging Testimony About Gaetz - The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/us/politics/matt-gaetz-hack-testimony.html

The documents include information that is under seal with the Justice Department, which investigated Mr. Gaetz but did not file charges, and the House Committee on Ethics, which has completed its own inquiry into the former congressman. The Ethics panel’s members are scheduled to meet on Wednesday to decide on whether to vote to release material it has gathered.

[darkmaga-returns]

In Congress, Donald Trump’s Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz was at the forefront in challenging the Justice Department and was a staunch defender of the former president, hinting at the role the firebrand could play in remaking the troubled federal agency if he is confirmed. 

Gaetz rose to prominence defending then-President Trump and bashing the Justice Department during the Russia collusion investigation into the Trump campaign, frequently appearing on television and using his role on key committees to challenge the agency, which pushed the long-debunked "Russian conspiracy" narrative. 

After Trump’s first term ended, the four-term congressman challenged the department on its handling of Hunter Biden probes and the investigation into the Trump assassination attempts. 

President-elect Trump undoubtedly nominated Gaetz for these reasons, seeing him as an important defender and loyal ally to head an agency he felt was undermining him at every turn in his first term. 

But, Gaetz will still likely face a tough confirmation battle and his nomination has drawn skepticism from Senate Republicans who will be vital to confirming him to the role. 

When spurious allegations that the Trump campaign had colluded with Russia were being pushed by Capitol Hill Democrats, Donald Trump’s first attorney general, former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, angered the president when he recused himself and allowed the department to appoint a special counsel to investigate the allegations. 

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Walter Einenkel at Daily Kos:

The GOP attempted to distract the public from Donald Trump’s conviction by bringing Attorney General Merrick Garland in front of the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday. While Republicans like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida pushed conspiracy theories, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California shut them down in an embarrassing defeat. “I'm starting to think you're in a cult,” Swalwell said. He proceeded to point to the cognitive dissonance among the GOP’s Trump apologists, and then he listed off the 37 countries that ban convicted felons from entering.  While Swalwell rattled this off, Republicans objected and Committee chair, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, pounded his gavel. 

Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA) brough some truth bombs for everyone by calling out the GOP’s sycophantic loyalty to Convicted Felon Donald Trump.

Video:

[keep-both-eyes-on-trump]

Trump Watch #5

Welp, it happened. Trump has announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. He’s a controversial pick, joining Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard as nominees who may have a hard time being confirmed even in the Republican controlled Senate. Unlike Gaetz and Gabbard, Kennedy unfortunately has rather enthusiastic support from some of Trump’s most loyal senators. 

His vision of public health has historically been at odds with mainstream health and science. He has called for the federal government to remove fluoride from public water supplies and has a long history of baseless claims including: 

WiFi causes cancer

School shootings are caused by antidepressants 

Chemicals in water can make children transgender

AIDS might not be caused by HIV 

Vaccines cause autism (an all time fave conspiracy)

His appointment to lead the Department of Health and Human Services puts him in charge of an agency that oversees drug, vaccine, and food safety, medical research, and Medicare and Medicaid. Health experts, Senate Democrats, and the random-ass democrat typing this have expressed horror at the appointment. 

In lesser news, Trump also named Doug Collins to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Collins is a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command and former congressman from Georgia. 

He helped defend Trump during his first impeachment process.

The Watcher