Tag: Matt Gaetz

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News Round-Up: April 8, 2021

Hunky guy snaps a gym selfie

Hunky guy snaps a gym selfie
(image via kenneth-in-the-212)
Some news items you might have missed: • Kenneth-in-the-212: Kenneth’s weekly ‘Mask4Masc’ feature is a winner with all kinds of inspiration this week (plus more at the link). • TVLine: NBC’s streaming platform Peacock has ordered a reboot of the landmark queer TV series Queer As Folk.  Described as a “vibrant reimagining,” the new Queer as Folk will center on a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. The original QAF debuted on Britain’s Channel 4 in 1999 and ran for 10 episodes. The American version was created for Showtime and lasted five seasons (from 2000 to 2005). • Axios: A new Gallup poll shows more Americans identify as Democrats by the largest margin since 2012. Per the recent survey, 49% say they support Democrats, 40% support the Republican Party and 11% say they are Independents with no partisan leaning.
(graphic via Gallup)
• Instinct Magazine: Grammy-nominated singer Kehlani shared this past weekend during an Instagram Live chat that she identifies as a lesbian. “You want to know? You want to know what’s new about me? I finally know I’m a lesbian,” said the singer. • Herald Leader: A southern state is actually making it easier to vote? Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) signed into law Wednesday a significant election reform bill that will make it easier for Kentuckians to vote early, bucking a national trend of more restrictive election laws in the aftermath of the 2020 election. • The Gaily Grind: The office of embattled Rep. Matt Gaetz released a statement purportedly written by female staffers defending the pro-Trump lawmaker amid his ongoing sex trafficking scandal. Despite being signed by “The Women of the Office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz,” not a single woman is named in the statement. • Instagram: Just a quick reminder that baseball is back – and I ain’t mad 🙂 https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSknbvHINT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Gaetz Associate Expected To Take Plea Deal

Joel Greenberg

Joel Greenberg
Joel Greenberg (official county photo)
An associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Jeff Greenberg, is expected to enter guilty pleas on a number of charges including sex trafficking in the next few weeks. That doesn’t bode well for Gaetz who is being investigated on similar sex charges. Greenberg could wind up as a key witness against Gaetz. From the New York Times:

A plea by the former elected official, Joel Greenberg, could significantly strengthen the Justice Department’s hand as it investigates Mr. Gaetz and others who met Mr. Greenberg through Florida Republican politics and are being scrutinized on potential sex trafficking violations.

Mr. Greenberg met women through a website that connects people who are willing to go on dates in exchange for gifts and allowances, then introduced them to Mr. Gaetz, who along with Mr. Greenberg had sex with them, people familiar with the matter have said.

The prosecutors and Greenberg’s legal team agreed to a May 15 deadline to come to some agreement on a plea deal which could include testifying against or providing information about Gaetz to prosecutors. Staring at a possible 12 year prison sentence, Greenberg may feel inclined to cooperate with the Justice Department. Click here for an in-depth rundown on Greenberg’s alleged crimes, which are numerous.

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Matt Gaetz Voted Against (?) Revenge Porn Bill As FL Lawmaker

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)
Considering he’s currently being investigated for possibly having sex with a minor, this report on Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) being one of only two votes against a bill outlawing sharing sexually explicit photos of ex-partners (‘revenge porn’) is probably not a good look for Gaetz right now. From the Washington Post:

Six years later, with the now-congressman accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and sharing photographs of nude women with fellow lawmakers, the sponsor of the Florida legislation says Gaetz opposed it because he believed recipients of such images could use them however they wanted.

Tom Goodson, a Republican who retired from the Florida state House in 2018, told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday that Gaetz was the leading opponent of the nonconsensual pornography bill he spent years trying to pass.

He described a meeting in which Gaetz said that if a person gives an intimate photo to a romantic partner, the image becomes the property of the recipient.

Read the full article here. In related news, Donald Trump dispatched a quick missive today saying reports that Gaetz had sought an all-inclusive blanket pardon from the Donald during his last days in office are inaccurate. It’s important to note that Trump says “Gaetz never asked me for a pardon.” The reporting is that Gaetz “privately asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons.” The Trumpster added, “It must also be remembered that he has totally denied the accusations against him.”

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News Round-Up: April 6, 2021

Brody stands guard in Michael's office

Brody stands guard in Michael's office
Brody stands guard as Michael works
Some news items you might have missed: • Caprio Media Design: Brody (above) likes to stand guard while my hubby Michael works. Of course, ON the desk isn’t quite the optimal spot for Michael, but no one asked him. • ABC4 News: A Salt Lake City man reportedly violently raped and assaulted a lesbian woman and told her that he was going to “fix the gay,” according to police. • Yorkshire Live: A father stabbed his own two sons during a Boxing Day argument when they called him out for transphobic and homophobic slurs. One of the sons had to spend three nights in the hospital because the knife almost perforated his bowel and another had a stab wound near his heart. • New York Times: In the final weeks of Donald Trump’s term, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) privately asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed. At that time, he was being investigated as to whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old that violated sex trafficking laws.

• People: A man from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was arrested at Walt Disney World in February for refusing to undergo a simple temperature check. As he was being arrested he announced to the officer, “I spent $15,000 to come here!” As if that would absolve him from dodging the rules… • Forbes: Donald Trump’s fortune fell by nearly a third, from $3.5 billion to $2.4 billion, during his time in the White House. Had he divested himself of everything on Day 1, paid the capital-gains taxes on the sales, and put the proceeds into a conflict-free fund tracking the S&P 500, Trump would have ended his presidency an estimated $1.6 billion richer than he is today. • Gr8erDays: Billy Dee Williams is the nostalgia site’s ‘Mantique of the day’ as the big screen star celebrates his 84th birthday. He made his Broadway debut at the age of  7 in 1945! https://www.instagram.com/p/CNT5igYBmna/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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News Round-Up: March 30, 2021

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida (above) is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old and paid for her to travel with him. Investigators are examining whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz told Axios today that he has been “generous as a partner.” • Kenneth-in-the-212: The ‘Morning Wood’ series on KIT212 is always worth the click. Eye-candy is good for the soul 🙂 • American Greatness: The right wing site calls out Donald Trump’s post-election fund raising which continues to rake in huge piles of cash, but very little of that money has gone toward the causes for which donors believe they are giving. • Instagram: BMX pro Corey Walsh has become one of the few professional bikers to come out as gay. In a touching post, he shared how he’s struggled for years with his sexuality. p.s. his family and friends have apparently been awesome.  https://www.instagram.com/p/CNAkMW2hw0a/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link • CNN: Major Biden, the first rescue dog to live in the White House, has had another small ‘nipping’ incident while out on the White House South Lawn. #PoorDoggie • BroadwayWorld: The Drama League has announced the 2021 Nominees for The 87th Annual Drama League Awards. This year the organization has established five unique categories to honor the extraordinary achievements of artists across the nation who created digital and socially-distanced theatrical productions during this challenging year of suspension for live arts. • Logo: Emmy-winning actor and activist Billy Porter has returned for the third year in a row to deliver Logo’s 2021 LGBTQ State of the Union, a rousing speech assessing the status of LGBTQ acceptance and equality in the United States. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the past year. Between the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the nation’s new presidential administration, Porter had plenty of ground to cover.

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Gaetz Says He Allowed Adult ‘Son’ To Spring Break In Florida

REp. Matt Gaetz talks about 'allowing' his 'son' to spring break in Florida

Rep. Matt Gaetz talks about 'allowing' his 'son' to spring break in Florida Spring break madness is currently trending in the news cycle as thousands of students make a pilgrimage to Florida beach towns where there are little-to-no COVID restrictions. During an appearance on Fox News last night, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told Sean Hannity he’d “allowed” his “son” Nestor to head to Panama Beach, Florida. “My son is a college freshman,” said Gaetz. “He had no real graduation, no prom, and I struggled with whether or not to allow him to enjoy spring break at Panama City beach. I allowed him to have an abbreviated one.” He added that he “did not have a good night’s rest the entire time he was there until I knew he was safe, okay, and back at school.”

Now, the remark drew attention primarily because Nestor Galban is not Gaetz’s son. Galban is the younger brother of an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz. The 19-year-old has apparently been living with the congressman on-and-off since he was 12. While Gaetz refers to Galban as his “son,” he’s never adopted him. The relationship came to light last year when after a clash during a hearing in Congress, Gaetz announced Nestor to the world as his son.

Gaetz had never mentioned to the public he has a “son,” and had only referred to Galban in the public as a “local student,” “helper,” and “House page.” Never as a “family” member. Look, if the 38-year-old Gaetz wants to have a younger boo, that’s fine as long as he’s of legal age. What isn’t cool, though, is voting against legislation like the Equality Act. Gaetz also told Hannity’s viewers that people should feel free to “come to Florida and enjoy freedom.” He added that folks could go out to eat, get in some beach time and “get a little weird, not too weird.” Asked to define “weird,” Gaetz explained, “Maybe a little body-paint here and there, maybe throw some beads, but don’t hurt anybody.” Body-paint and beads. Good times… At nearly 20-years-old, it seemed a bit odd to some that Galban would need permission from Gaetz to be “allowed” to spring break somewhere. Many in the Twitterverse thought it a bit odd as well.

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Updated: Rep. Matt Gaetz Suddenly Reveals He Has A Cuban Son?

R-L Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and ‘son’ Nestor (image via Twitter)
UPDATE: Rep. Matt Gaetz confirmed to PEOPLE today that he’s never ‘formally’ adopted Nestor Galban. I admit, in many cases, “family” can be defined in many ways and what counts is in the heart. But in this case, Gaetz defended his ‘outrage’ for his over-the-top reaction in a congressional committee hearing by announcing the “local student” or “helper” (his own words) is suddenly his “son,” it sure sounds like he’s using someone’s ethnicity to justify his own woeful voting record on immigration and racial issues.

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From The Daily Beast:

Wednesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on police reform blew up when Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) took offense at remarks made by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) about race, asking the Black congressman “who the hell” he thought he was.

The Democrat noted that he was aware that there are GOP congressmen who have Black grandchildren before pointing out that “it is not about the color of your kids” but instead about “Black males, Black people in the streets getting killed.”

“And if one of them happens to be your kid, I’m concerned about him too, and clearly I’m more concerned about him than you are,” Richmond added, causing Gaetz to become irate. (Gaetz is not married and has no children.)

“You’re claiming you have more concern about my family than I do,” the pro-Trump congressman shouted. “Who in the hell do you think you are?” After Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) called on Gaetz to cease, Richmond coolly asked Gaetz, “Was that a nerve?”

The reason the story is interesting is…apparently, Gaetz (who is single) has an adopted Cuban-born son named Nestor, but no one knew this…? There’s no mention of Nestor on Gaetz’s campaign website. Now, I don’t believe in pimping out kids for political points, but usually, on a politician’s “About” section on their website, there’s a mention of spouse and children. Nope. Not on Gaetz’s website. Gaetz tweeted a photo with Nestor today explaining Nestor is his son, although he makes a point to say they ‘share no blood’ and Nestor came to the U.S. from Cuba (with the notation ‘legally, of course’). But then, folks clicked back through the congressman’s Twitter feed and it turns out Nestor has made a couple of appearances in the past, but Gaetz referred to him as his “helper” in a video and in other tweets listed him as a “local student Nestor Galban” or “House page Nestor Galban.” But never identified his son as his son? I think that’s, umm, weird. So did some other folks. As Boy Culture writes, “People are understandably shocked that Gaetz — who has a DUI record — was able to adopt (?) a 12-year-old boy from another country, and that he chose to keep this arrangement a secret until he felt it was politically expedient to come out of the closet … as a dad. Or a father figure. Or a ward.” By the way, to be clear, I think adoption ROCKS. It’s just odd that Gaetz suddenly reveals this after a shouting match over non-white children…

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House Republicans Attempt To Disrupt Impeachment Inquiry Testimony

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) speaks to reporters (screen capture)
NBC News reports that some two dozen House Republicans staged a publicity stunt in which they attempted to storm the doors of the House Intelligence Committee as they hold the Trump impeachment inquiry. The attempt to squelch the negative news about quid pro quo occurred as Laura Cooper, deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense, was scheduled to testify in the inquiry on Wednesday.

Led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the GOP members — who don’t sit on the committees that are questioning witnesses in the impeachment inquiry — entered the secure room, known as a SCIF, in the basement of the Capitol Visitor’s Center. Before entering, they protested Democrats’ handling of the probe, arguing that the process was not fair to Republicans or the president.

House rules only allow members to participate in depositions if they serve on the committees.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., told reporters that there were approximately 20 GOP members in the room who refused to leave, and said that they came into the secure room yelling that they be allowed inside. Some of these members brought their cellphones, which are not permitted.