Recess appointments
I don’t think you understand how much Gaetz is reviled by everyone. This shyt will not go over well
Trump nominates MATT “weird case” GAETZ as Attorney General of the United States; WOMAN SAYS SHE SLEPT WITH HIM AT 17!
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I don’t think you understand how much Gaetz is reviled by everyone. This shyt will not go over well
Trust the GOP at your peril. Remember how many Republicans called Roe 'settled law's before it was overturned?
Maybe
What happened to all the Right Wing Pizza gate/Epstein people. I guess shyt don't matter when Trump and co have been proved to be in on all of it. Now it's just deny and deflect huh? fukking complicit b*stards.
aw shyt 
Summarize
ABC News
The woman who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations surrounding Rep. Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that the now-former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Gaetz had been tapped to serve as attorney general, overseeing the very branch of government that previously conducted its own investigation of him, which ended last year without charges being brought.
Gaetz resigned from office following Trump's announcement. This came as the House Ethics Committee was in the final stages of its investigation, said sources, who added that the committee was preparing to meet this week to deliberate over whether to release a final report on the matter.
Over the summer, the House Ethics Committee subpoenaed the woman at the center of the probe -- who is now in her 20s -- and she sat for multiple days of testimony where she testified to the committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was a minor in high school, sources close to the investigation said.
The Justice Department had spent years probing the allegations, including allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges.
Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing related to the Justice Department probe. In September, he released a detailed response to questions sent to him by the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating allegations of alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, reiterating his denial of the allegations.
"Your correspondence of September 4 asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18. The answer to this question is unequivocally NO. You can apply this response to every version of this question, in every forum," Gaetz said in a statement posted to his social media account.
Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., Feb. 23, 2024.
Alex Brandon/AP
The woman's allegation regarding Gaetz became part of the investigation following claims by former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, a former friend of Gaetz, who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after reaching a deal with investigators in May 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking of the woman when she was a minor and introducing her to other "adult men" who also had sex with her when she was underage.
According to Greenberg's plea deal, the woman, who ABC News is not identifying, met Greenberg online in 2017 and began meeting him in hotels and houses in the Middle District of Florida, where he "introduced the Minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with the Minor in the Middle District of Florida," court documents said.
At the time, the minor "represented that she was an adult" on the website where she met Greenberg -- and according to his plea agreement, he acknowledges that he "acted in reckless disregard of the fact that the Minor was less than 18 years old when he engaged in commercial sex acts" and had a "reasonable opportunity to observe" that she was underage.
Over the course of its investigation, the House Ethics Committee conducted interviews with at least half a dozen women who allegedly attended parties where the Florida congressman was also present, and who were paid by Greenberg, Gaetz's one-time close friend, sources told ABC News. Some of the witnesses had been subpoenaed by the committee, while others agreed to cooperate, according to the sources.
The House Ethics Committee also subpoenaed Gaetz's former girlfriend for testimony, and said she sat for an interview earlier in the year, sources said. The former girlfriend previously testified to a grand jury in the sex trafficking probe, as ABC News previously reported.
The committee has also obtained a sworn written statement by Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend where she lists the Florida congressman as one of the attendees at a party in July 2017 where dugs were present and which was attended by the woman who Gaetz allegedly had sex with when she was a minor, sources said.
ABC News previously reported that the committee obtained written testimony from a separate woman who said that in July 2017, when she was 20 years old, she attended a party in Florida that Gaetz also attended, and which was attended by the woman who was a minor at the time and where drugs including cocaine were present.
Greenberg, a key witness in the Justice Department probe, has been cooperating with the House Ethics investigation, according to sources. Earlier this year, while serving time in a Florida federal prison, he provided written testimony to the committee, the sources said.
Some witnesses were shown Venmo payments they allegedly received from Gaetz, sources said.
As ABC News previously reported, one woman who said she attended a party with the Gaetz in 2017, who ABC News is not identifying, told the committee that a payment from Gaetz was for sex, multiple sources told ABC News. Others have said they were paid to attend parties they said Gaetz also attended, and that those parties included drugs and sex, the sources said.
Gaetz has long denied all of the allegations, including paying for sex, and previously dismissed them by claiming "someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward."
Earlier in the year the committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for records related to its probe into the Florida congressman, sources said. It is unclear if those records were turned over.
However, the committee had obtained some Venmo records from Gaetz after issuing the company a subpoena, sources told ABC News. During the Justice Department's investigation into Gaetz, public reporting, including by The Daily Beast, largely focused on Venmo records from Greenberg, who, according to his plea agreement, used his account to "pay for commercial sex acts" with women he also introduced to others.
Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
The woman at the center of the DOJ's probe of Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that he had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources say.
abcnews.go.com
Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
The woman at the center of the DOJ's probe of Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that he had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources say.
abcnews.go.com
Woman testified to House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17: Sources
Summarize
ABC News
The woman who was at the center of a yearslong Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations surrounding Rep. Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that the now-former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Gaetz had been tapped to serve as attorney general, overseeing the very branch of government that previously conducted its own investigation of him, which ended last year without charges being brought.
Gaetz resigned from office following Trump's announcement. This came as the House Ethics Committee was in the final stages of its investigation, said sources, who added that the committee was preparing to meet this week to deliberate over whether to release a final report on the matter.
Over the summer, the House Ethics Committee subpoenaed the woman at the center of the probe -- who is now in her 20s -- and she sat for multiple days of testimony where she testified to the committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was a minor in high school, sources close to the investigation said.
The Justice Department had spent years probing the allegations, including allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges.
Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing related to the Justice Department probe. In September, he released a detailed response to questions sent to him by the House Ethics Committee, which has been investigating allegations of alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, reiterating his denial of the allegations.
"Your correspondence of September 4 asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18. The answer to this question is unequivocally NO. You can apply this response to every version of this question, in every forum," Gaetz said in a statement posted to his social media account.
Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., Feb. 23, 2024.
Alex Brandon/AP
The woman's allegation regarding Gaetz became part of the investigation following claims by former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, a former friend of Gaetz, who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after reaching a deal with investigators in May 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking of the woman when she was a minor and introducing her to other "adult men" who also had sex with her when she was underage.
According to Greenberg's plea deal, the woman, who ABC News is not identifying, met Greenberg online in 2017 and began meeting him in hotels and houses in the Middle District of Florida, where he "introduced the Minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with the Minor in the Middle District of Florida," court documents said.
At the time, the minor "represented that she was an adult" on the website where she met Greenberg -- and according to his plea agreement, he acknowledges that he "acted in reckless disregard of the fact that the Minor was less than 18 years old when he engaged in commercial sex acts" and had a "reasonable opportunity to observe" that she was underage.
Over the course of its investigation, the House Ethics Committee conducted interviews with at least half a dozen women who allegedly attended parties where the Florida congressman was also present, and who were paid by Greenberg, Gaetz's one-time close friend, sources told ABC News. Some of the witnesses had been subpoenaed by the committee, while others agreed to cooperate, according to the sources.
The House Ethics Committee also subpoenaed Gaetz's former girlfriend for testimony, and said she sat for an interview earlier in the year, sources said. The former girlfriend previously testified to a grand jury in the sex trafficking probe, as ABC News previously reported.
The committee has also obtained a sworn written statement by Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend where she lists the Florida congressman as one of the attendees at a party in July 2017 where dugs were present and which was attended by the woman who Gaetz allegedly had sex with when she was a minor, sources said.
ABC News previously reported that the committee obtained written testimony from a separate woman who said that in July 2017, when she was 20 years old, she attended a party in Florida that Gaetz also attended, and which was attended by the woman who was a minor at the time and where drugs including cocaine were present.
Greenberg, a key witness in the Justice Department probe, has been cooperating with the House Ethics investigation, according to sources. Earlier this year, while serving time in a Florida federal prison, he provided written testimony to the committee, the sources said.
Some witnesses were shown Venmo payments they allegedly received from Gaetz, sources said.
As ABC News previously reported, one woman who said she attended a party with the Gaetz in 2017, who ABC News is not identifying, told the committee that a payment from Gaetz was for sex, multiple sources told ABC News. Others have said they were paid to attend parties they said Gaetz also attended, and that those parties included drugs and sex, the sources said.
Gaetz has long denied all of the allegations, including paying for sex, and previously dismissed them by claiming "someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward."
Earlier in the year the committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for records related to its probe into the Florida congressman, sources said. It is unclear if those records were turned over.
However, the committee had obtained some Venmo records from Gaetz after issuing the company a subpoena, sources told ABC News. During the Justice Department's investigation into Gaetz, public reporting, including by The Daily Beast, largely focused on Venmo records from Greenberg, who, according to his plea agreement, used his account to "pay for commercial sex acts" with women he also introduced to others.
Low End Derrick
Veteran
Im looking at Pete Hegseth's military accomplishments vs. Lloyd Austin's and its like night and day:
Austin:
Hegseth:
shyts crazy
wop wop wop wop
I hope he gets confirmed.
TELL ME YA CHEESIN FAM?
I walk around a little edgy already
Exclusive: Woman told House Ethics panel she witnessed Gaetz having sex with minor, lawyer says
Summarize
ABC News
An attorney representing two women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee's investigation into now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz is calling for the release of the committee's report, telling ABC News that one of his clients testified that she witnessed the Florida congressman having sex with a minor.
"My client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Matt Gaetz having sex with a minor," Florida attorney Joel Leppard told ABC News.
"As the Senate considers former Rep. Gaetz's nomination for attorney general, several questions demand answers," Leppard said. "What if multiple credible witnesses provided evidence of behavior that would constitute serious criminal violations?"
"Democracy demands transparency. Release the Gaetz Ethics report," said Leppard, who represents two women who sat for closed-door testimony with the committee over the summer.
Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump selected this week to serve as his attorney general, has long denied any wrongdoing, including have an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The Justice department declined to charge Gaetz last year after a yearslong investigation into the allegations.
Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News regarding Leppard's claims.
The two witnesses, who ABC News is not naming, both allegedly attended parties with the congressman. Gaetz's one-time friend Joel Greenberg is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after reaching a deal with prosecutors in May 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes including sex trafficking of the woman when she was a minor and introducing her to other "adult men" who also had sex with her when she was underage.
Representative from Florida Matt Gaetz speaks during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisc., on July 17, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
According to Greenberg's plea deal, the woman, who ABC News is not identifying, met Greenberg online in 2017 and began meeting him in hotels and houses in the Middle District of Florida, where he "introduced the Minor to other adult men, who engaged in commercial sex acts with the Minor in the Middle District of Florida," court documents said.
At the time, the minor "represented that she was an adult" on the website where she met Greenberg -- and according to his plea agreement, he acknowledges that he "acted in reckless disregard of the fact that the Minor was less than 18 years old when he engaged in commercial sex acts" and had a "reasonable opportunity to observe" that she was underage.
Leppard's statement comes after attorney John Clune, who represents the former minor at the center of the probe, called for the release of the Ethics Committee's report on Thursday.
"Mr. Gaetz's likely nomination as Attorney General is a perverse development in a truly dark series of events. We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their report. She was a high school student and there were witnesses," Clune said in a statement.
The woman, who is now in her 20s, testified to the House Ethics Committee that the now-former Florida congressman had sex with her when she was 17 years old and he was in Congress, ABC News previously reported.
In a statement responding to that reporting, Gaetz said, "These allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress. This false smear following a three year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism."
The Justice Department spent years investigating the allegations against Gaetz, including allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges.
Gaetz has long vehemently denied any wrongdoing related to the Justice Department probe. In September, he released a detailed response to questions sent to him by the House Ethics Committee, which was investigating allegations of alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
"Your correspondence of September 4 asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18. The answer to this question is unequivocally NO. You can apply this response to every version of this question, in every forum," Gaetz said in a statement posted to his social media account.
Gaetz resigned from office this week after being selected to lead Trump's Justice Department, which ended the House Ethics Committee's probe that sources tell ABC News had been entering its final stages. Prior to Gaetz's resignation, the committee had planned to meet this week to discuss whether to release their report on the investigation -- leaving it unclear if the report will ever see the light of day.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Friday that he does not think the House Ethics Committee should release the findings of its investigation into Gaetz, now that the Florida Republican is no longer a member of Congress.
I believe it is very important to maintain the House's tradition of not issuing ethics reports on people who are no longer members of Congress. I think it would open a Pandora's box," he said.
Leppard told ABC News he supports the release of the report.
"What if sworn testimony detailed conduct that would disqualify anyone from serving as our nation's chief law enforcement officer?" the attorney said in his statement to ABC News.
strange how that works
Hacker Is Said to Have Gained Access to File With Damaging Testimony About Gaetz
The computer file is said to contain testimony from the woman who said she had sex with Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be attorney general, when she was 17.
Hacker Is Said to Have Gained Access to File With Damaging Testimony About Gaetz
The computer file is said to contain testimony from the woman who said she had sex with Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be attorney general, when she was 17.
Nov. 19, 2024Updated 10:39 a.m. ET
Matt Gaetz speaking to reporters on the steps of the Capitol.
Former Representative Matt Gaetz was picked by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be his nominee for attorney general.Kenny Holston/The New York Times
An unidentified hacker has gained access to a computer file shared in a secure link among lawyers whose clients have given damaging testimony related to Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman who is President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice to be attorney general, a person with knowledge of the activity said.
The file of 24 exhibits is said to include sworn testimony by a woman who said that she had sex with Mr. Gaetz in 2017 when she was 17, as well as corroborating testimony by a second woman who said that she witnessed the encounter.
The files were downloaded by a person using the name Altam Beezley at 1:23 p.m. on Monday, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly. A lawyer connected to the case sent an email to the address associated with Altam Beezley, only to be informed in an automated reply that the recipient does not exist.
The material does not appear to have been made public by the hacker.
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.
But the hacked trove of documents stems from an altogether different source: a civil suit being pursued by a friend of Mr. Gaetz’s, Christopher Dorworth, a Florida businessman. Mr. Dorworth filed the suit against both the woman who says she had sex with Mr. Gaetz when she was a minor and Joel Greenberg, an erstwhile ally of Mr. Gaetz who is serving an 11-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal sex trafficking charges involving the woman.
Mr. Dorworth has claimed that he was defamed by Mr. Greenberg and the woman, both of whom had told federal authorities that Mr. Dorworth hosted parties where he, they, Mr. Gaetz and others took drugs and openly had sex.
In mustering their defense, lawyers for Mr. Greenberg and the woman have solicited sworn statements from others who they say were witnesses. The 24 exhibits were attached to a motion prepared by lawyers for Mr. Greenberg and the woman in response to Mr. Dorworth’s suit.
In addition to the depositions from the woman who was a minor at the time of the encounter and the woman who said she was a witness, the hacked information also includes sworn testimony from Mr. Dorworth and his wife, as well as testimony from Michael Fischer, Mr. Gaetz’s former campaign treasurer, who is also said to have attended the party. It also contains various supporting material, such as the gate logs showing who entered the property of the Dorworth home on the evening in July 2017 when the two women said the sexual encounter with Mr. Gaetz occurred.
The material apparently taken by the hacker is unredacted and includes the names and other personal information of the witnesses but is otherwise said to be more damaging to Mr. Gaetz than to his accusers, according to the person familiar with the hack. The hacker had not contacted the lawyers as of Tuesday morning, and it was not clear what motive the person might have.
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