4/7/21
In a self-serving op-ed published earlier this week, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz warned that there would be a “drip drip drip” of new information accusing him of various and sundry acts. It was a nice warning, though really not necessary. After all, Gaetz is nothing if not 300 lbs. of putrescence in a 200-lb. bag. There are going to be leaks. What’s already been made clear is that Gaetz was deeply connected for an extended period, with indicted sex trafficker Joel Greenberg. The two were apparently involved in manufacturing false IDs for underage girls. Gaetz bragged on Greenberg’s ability to secure women for sex. In turn, Gaetz also reportedly procured women for other Republican officials. Gaetz also had a proclivity for showing nude photos and videos of his supposed conquests to fellow Republicans in Congress. In short, every Republican official in both Florida and Washington seemed to know everything that Matt Gaetz was up to. All of them are now claiming they never liked it. None of them did a damned thing about it. And the latest drip to escape that big bag of corruption is that Gaetz tried to get Donald Trump to give him a “preemptive pardon” for every crime he’s committed, and to give more pardons to all his sex trafficking pals. And interestingly, Gaetz apparently asked for pardons for some other members of Congress.
As ]The New York Times reported on Tuesday evening, even as Gaetz was singing along with the “Trump won” chorus, he was also chasing his hero around the White House, begging for shelter from the coming storm. Gaetz complained that there was a “bloodlust” among his political opponents, and because of that he would need a “broad pardon” that included “unidentified congressional allies.” What these other members of Congress may have done that made it necessary to hand them all Get Out of Jail Free cards isn’t clear. In asking for a preemptive pardon that would absolve him of any crimes charged, Gaetz was essentially asking for permission to go forth and crime all he wanted. There are real questions as to whether the “unlimited” power of presidential pardons is quite that unlimited. This isn’t a story just about Gaetz, or even about Gaetz and Greenberg. “Ultimately, it’s about abuse of power and how the Republican Party lost its way with guys like this. ... They’re the embodiment of Trumpism.”
www.dailykos.com
