#rep. matt gaetz

[strmpt]

you know trump’s cabinet picks are fucking insane when there’s bipartisan agreement that they’re terrible choices

[sujooon]

President-elect Donald Trump has announced his decision to nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida for the position of U.S. Attorney General. The move is already stirring significant debate and has set the stage for what promises to be a contentious confirmation process in the Senate. Gaetz, a staunch Trump loyalist and vocal critic of the Justice Department, would take over the nation’s top law enforcement agency if confirmed, a prospect that has sparked mixed reactions within the political establishment.

[dduane]

Almost certainly meaning that the whole report about him was about to leak.

Someone therefore hurriedly made him a deal for some to-be-delivered-later sinecure, and he folded his tent citing the old "Many Important People talked to me and convinced me that I didn't I want to be an undua distraction" excuse. :/

[batboyblog]

"The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,"

[theonion]

From The Archives: The House Ethics Committee has reportedly interviewed witnesses about Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) attending a house party with minors, alcohol, and illicit drugs. The Onion asked teenagers what it was like to party with Matt Gaetz, and this is what they said.

[fromchaostocosmos]

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who has been criticized in the past for her dalliances with antisemitic tropes and influencers, explained her vote against a bill defining antisemitism by saying that the bill it rejects the “gospel” that “the Jews” handed Jesus over to his crucifiers.

But Greene, posting on X, formerly Twitter, laid out a different concern: that the bill threatened Christian expression. “Antisemitism is wrong, but I will not be voting for the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) today that could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews,” she said. “Read the bill text and contemporary examples of antisemitism like #9.”

In her tweet, Greene posts two photos: One focuses on the portion of the bill that adopts as part of its definition of antisemitism the 11 “contemporary examples of antisemitism” in the definition of antisemitism composed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The second photo highlights the ninth example, “using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.”

Her fellow far-right Republican, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, explained his no vote in similar terms on the same platform. “The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!” Gaetz writes, and gores on to quote New Testament scripture that collectively blames Jews for Jesus’s killing

[simply-ivanka]

EPIC

[darkmaga-returns]

The MAGA movement has rallied in unwavering support for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as he faces renewed smears from the corporate media��and House Ethics Committee accusations rooted in disproven allegations.

It is telling that despite a coordinated campaign to isolate and discredit him, the Trump-aligned grassroots base and key leaders in the America First coalition are standing behind Gaetz, further exposing and fuelling the establishment’s desperation to silence one of the most reliable and vocal critics of the D.C. swamp.

The Ethics Committee’s recent, unethical leak of its own report—a rehash of allegations previously debunked by none other than the Biden Department of Justice—was timed to damage Gaetz’s credibility and distract from his effectiveness in holding the political class accountable. The DOJ, after a thorough investigation, declined to press charges, citing a complete lack of evidence to support the claims that have dogged Gaetz for years. Yet the committee, under the false premise of oversight, has weaponized its authority to settle political scores, relying on innuendo and hearsay.

Gaetz, who led the charge to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has long been a thorn in the side of both Democrats and establishment Republicans. His refusal to take corporate cash and his willingness to challenge the status quo has made him a target of relentless attacks.Yet contra to the beliefs of the legacy media, his refusal to bow to pressure has only solidified his standing with the MAGA movement.

This loyalty from the base is not misplaced. Gaetz has often put the movement on his back, staunchly defending policies that are central to the America First agenda, including exposing government censorship and persecution, opposing endless foreign wars, and leading on accountability for the Biden regime’s failures. His successful defenestration of Speaker McCarthy made him a ‘made man’ in MAGA world.

Prominent figures, including Stephen K. Bannon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and President Donald Trump have expressed their public support. Greene called the Ethics Committee’s report “a shameless political hit job,” while Trump reposted messages defending Gaetz, calling him a “warrior” and a key ally in the fight to drain the swamp.

The campaign to smear Gaetz is the opening salvo of a fresh round of hoaxes, underscoring a broader trend of targeting MAGA conservatives.

[saywhat-politics]

CNN — 

The Justice Department has informed lawyers for Rep. Matt Gaetz and multiple witnesses that it will not bring charges against the Florida Republican after a yearslong federal sex-trafficking investigation.

Senior officials reached out to lawyers for multiple witnesses on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, to inform them of the decision not to prosecute Gaetz.

The final decision was made by Department of Justice leadership after investigators recommended against charges last year.

“We have just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they have concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice and they have determined not to bring any charges against him,” Gaetz’s lawyers, Marc Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner, said in a statement.

Tim Jansen, a high-powered lawyer representing the congressman’s ex-girlfriend, said that DOJ officials reached out to him Wednesday and told him they would not be charging Gaetz. The ex-girlfriend was a key witness in the case and had testified before the grand jury in Orlando last year.

The congressman’s office said in a separate statement that the department informed them the investigation has ended and no charges will be brought.

[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.

[contemplatingoutlander]

Apocalyptic rhetoric is just as dangerous as the violent kind

Paul Waldman is absolutely correct about how the Republican's "apocalyptic rhetoric" about the Democrats could ultimately lead to violence just as much as the violent rhetoric. The GOP frames Democrats now as deliberately wanting to "destroy" America. (Ironically, it is the GOP who have turned toward autocracy and seem determined on establishing one party rule at all costs. This suggests that once again, Republicans are projecting onto Democrats.)

“I cannot stand these people that are destroying our country,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to a crowd of Donald Trump’s supporters at the Iowa State Fair this past weekend while the former president looked on approvingly. Gaetz then added: “Only through force do we make any change in a corrupt town like Washington, D.C.” The second part of that statement made headlines, as it’s not every day that a member of Congress advocates “force” to achieve political goals. But the first part ought to be just as troubling, because the two parts operate together. The idea that our opponents are purposely attempting to lay waste to America is often the justification for all kinds of radical action — violence very much included. Barely a day goes by without prominent Republicans repeating that claim. Trump regularly says his political opponents will “destroy the country,” or have already nearly destroyed it. It’s a staple of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s rhetoric. “If woke ideology takes over, it will destroy this country,” DeSantis says. If President Biden is reelected, the governor insists, “the left is gonna absolutely destroy this country.” [...] Yes, liberals have made dire warnings about a second Trump presidency. But that’s unique to Trump, who actually tried to overturn a lawful election and retain power, and last year called for the “termination” of the Constitution. So the assertion that if he became president it could mean the end of democracy is at least not too far-fetched.* The talk of the United States ending its run some time in the next few years because Democrats passed some modest expansion of health coverage or kept pushing for a transition to green energy, on the other hand, is bonkers. Yet, unlike other kinds of rhetorical calls to extremism, we don’t police it at all. Journalists tend to be very attuned to hints of political violence. When a candidate says he wants to start “slitting throats” in the federal government, as DeSantis recently did, we condemn it and explore its troubling implications. We press Republican contenders to admit that Biden fairly won the 2020 election and to repudiate the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. In contrast, we treat partisan apocalyptic rhetoric as mere hyperbole. But it’s the premise that turns anger into action. If you actually believed your opponents were literally trying to destroy your country, what wouldn’t be justified? Threatening election officials? Storming the Capitol? Assassinations? You might protest that Republican politicians don’t really believe this talk. But clearly, many of their supporters do. Which is no surprise given how often they’re told that it’s true. [...] Any rational Republican knows the truth about the next election: If Biden wins, it will mean nothing more than four years of policies they don’t like. That will be deeply unpleasant for them. But it won’t mean the end of America, and they shouldn’t be allowed to say so without challenge. We ought to treat apocalyptic rhetoric just like we treat violent rhetoric: Take note of it, condemn it, challenge candidates to defend it, and explain the threat it poses. Why? Because many of the voters who are listening think the Republicans spinning out wild tales of America’s imminent destruction mean what they say. [emphasis added]

____________ *In my opinion it isn't just Trump, many on the left have legitimate concerns about extreme right-wing Republicans like DeSantis and white Christian nationalists who seem to want autocracy/ one-party rule because they have either said and/or shown that they do.

[exyrpf]

Do I even want to know what happened in the last 24 hours 😭 I'm almost afraid to ask but I'm also insanely curious

You probably don't want to know but I'll tell you because you have no choice. This will be long and...awful. But there are sources so that's fun! Please keep in mind that this was all released within 24 hours on Thursday, September 20th, 2024 and that, unfortunately, I haven't mentioned everything.

But! The GOP was certainly having a wild one yesterday.

To start things off:

The first 'Big News' to break was about Mark Robinson.

For those saying 'who the fuck is Mark Robinson', he's the current (R) Lt. Gov of North Carolina that is running for Gov. Before yesterday, he was best known for openly hating LGBT+ and Jewish folks, being a Holocaust denier, being (forcefully) anti abortion, saying it was better when women couldn't vote, anti immigrant, hating the civil rights movement, etc, just being a hateful Evangelical nasty fascist. MAGA to his core. Trump has endorsed him, saying he should be cherished and calling him "MLK on steroids". (Robinson is Black).

So, yeah, that's bad enough right? Yesterday it got even worse. CNN released a report about some comments he made on a porn site forum 12 years ago, the most prominent being 'i'm a black NAZI'. He also commented that he wished slavery was legal and that he'd own a few, and called himself a 'perv' that used to 'peep' on women in public locker rooms when he was a teenager.

Also the tale as old as time that I'm sure you could guess when I mentioned 'GOP' 'loudly transphobic' and 'porn site scandal' - trans porn was a favourite of his. Because of course.

Also of course - the GOP hasn't taken him off the ticket, and he will continue to be the nominee for governor in North Carolina!

Read the article, there's more about him and the situation in general. Mind the warnings.

-

Now on to our favourite worm brained bear eating anti vaxxer conspiracy theorist, Robert F. Kennedy Junior! I'm putting this under a read more now.

The first thing to drop about him yesterday was the news of an investigation after he allegedly cut off the head of a dead whale and took it home 20 years ago. Now I bet you're thinking, wow that's bad! Unfortunately for RFK Jr yesterday got worse. It was then revealed that he (70) was having an affair with right wing journalist Olivia Nuzzi (31) after New York Magazine suspended her.

Everything I learn about RFK Jr I learn against my own will.

-

Saying goodbye to RFK for now, let's move on to Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida! This Matt Gaetz, with the botox if you didn't recognise him.

Scary lookin, right?

This isn't a completely new story (here's an article about how he alledgedly paid for sex with a minor) but new court filings were released yesterday alledging that he attended a drug-fueled sex party in 2017 with the 17-year-old girl at the center of the alleged sex trafficking scandal.

Sure is great to have such trustworthy men representing this country!

OKAY, on to the next.

-

This wasn't really breaking news because this is just Trump being Trump but he gave a speech at an ANTI ANTISEMITISM EVENT where he preemptively blamed the Jews for being the reason he'll lose this election, telling them they need to get their head checked if they vote for Harris (that's pretty much part of his stump speech by now though) and saying he'll reinstate his Muslim ban. White fascist blaming Jews? Wow, I did Nazi that coming.

-

I genuinely could go on, I really truly could.

Oh! Kamala Harris went on Oprah and it was really nice and not at all insane and she talked to the family of the first known victim of Trump's abortion ban and it was very touching. Trump's official social media then posted a clip of her talking about her gun and saying 'If somebody breaks into my house, they're getting shot' like it was a snatch when in reality Republicans in the comments are saying 'actually, this would make me vote for her'. Thanks, Trump Team for the free advertising!

Misc:

Chris Rufo (known racist and anti immigration right wing activist) got revealed to have an illegal immigrant wife, and then got revealed to be a user of Ashley Madison (database where people go to cheat on their partners)(Robinson was also on Ashley Madison).

Jasmine Crockett during her thing and ripping white republicans to shreds. (idk this was just fun to me)

Actually Republicans and Project 2025 got ripped to shreds and shut down in general by multiple Congress members.

GOP is on the brink of causing a government shutdown, because of COURSE they are.

Cards Against Humanity sues SpaceX over “invasion” of land on US/Mexico border.

Anyway there's actually MORE believe it or not but I can't remember if it happened yesterday. Thank you for reading, I'm always open to discussing current events. I don't think it's a well known fact that I'm into politics because I don't talk about it on tumblr because people are kinda stupid. Anyway!