So this story dropped yesterday morning about Florida GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz suddenly wanting to retire.
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.
Why it matters: Gaetz is a provocative figure on the right who's attracted attention by being a fierce defender of former President Trump. The Republican also represents a politically potent district on the Florida panhandle.
What we’re hearing: Gaetz has told some of his allies he’s interested in becoming a media personality, and floated taking a role at Newsmax. One of the sources said Gaetz has had early conversations with the network about what a position could look like.
The backdrop: Many Republicans turned to the network after Fox News called Arizona early for President Biden. Some critics now say Fox is not conservative enough for their tastes, providing an opening for Newsmax and the One America News Network (OANN).
Gaetz has previously toyed with the idea of running for higher office.
I mean the right-wing noise machine does run the GOP's day-to-day operations, but Gaetz has a safe seat and Republicans freely say they're going to take the House back in 2022. Either Gaetz knows something we don't know, or he's looking for the exits fast from the House GOP.
Federal authorities are investigating potential sex trafficking violations by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a probe that emerged from the prosecution of former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, according to a report by the New York Times.
Citing three people briefed on the matter, the Times reported Tuesday that Justice Department investigators are looking into whether Gaetz, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him.
The probe of Gaetz reportedly stemmed from the investigation of Greenberg, who faces a slew of charges including sex trafficking of a child. He is currently slated to stand trial in June.
The Times report noted that many details of the Gaetz probe remain unclear, including how the congressman allegedly met the girl. The encounters allegedly occurred about two years ago and the investigation began in the final months of the Trump administration under then-Attorney General William P. Barr, the report said.
No charges have yet been brought against Gaetz. Neither the congressman nor his office could be reached for comment.
But in an interview with the news website Axios, Gaetz described himself as a generous romantic partner who had “absolutely” not dated underage girls.
Except there's enough smoke there for Bill Barr, the most corrupt AG in American history, to not kill a federal probe into it, and the investigation has been going for several months now. Gaetz hasn't been charged yet. The key word of course is "yet".
As with Andrew Cuomo, if there's enough for a federal investigation already, Gaetz should absolutely retire.
No comments:
Post a Comment