Interesting test of QAnon’s self-professed raisin d’être: protecting children from sex trafficking.
Matt Gaetz, GOP Congressman and attack dog for Trump, is in the middle of a sex-trafficking scandal. It looks like he has come to the FBI’s notice during an investigation into a close Gaetz ally, Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg for sex-trafficking. I’ve seen a selfie taken by Greenberg of Gaetz & he with Roger Stone: birds of a feather.
It’s not altogether clear, but it looks as though the FBI is investigating an allegation that Gaetz, 38, paid for a 17 year old girl to travel between States with him or to visit him. Gaetz has made the extraordinary claim that there never was any 17 year old girl and he was the victim of an extortion attempt by a former FBI prosecutor who was demanding big dollars or he would smear him with this allegation. He claimed his father wore a wire on 2 occasions at the behest of the FBI to obtain evidence against the alleged blackmailer.
The problem for Gaetz is that the FBI is keeping mum about the investigation. If Gaetz were a totally innocent victim of an ex-FBI blackmailer, it would be incumbent on the FBI to acknowledge that. Even if Gaetz is correct about the blackmail attempt, that doesn’t mean he didn’t commit a sex-trafficking offence. It’s much easier to blackmail someone who’s guilty of a serious offence.
The other interesting feature of this case is that the investigation started while Bill Barr was the A/G and the FBI apparently kept Barr apprised of developments. That makes it harder for Gaetz to claim this has been cooked up by Biden allies.
You’d think that this would give the QIdiots pause, but no! They’re right behind Gaetz. They see the Deep State reaching out to hurt Trump and his allies. Won’t anyone think of the children? Apparently, no ...
As a side note, I’m not 100% convinced the US sex-trafficking laws are entirely reasonable. They turn on movement between States as that allows the Federal Government to claim jurisdiction over what would otherwise be State offences. In most States, I’d imagine the age of consent would be 16. That means there’s no offence committed where a 70 year old man has sex with a 16 year old girl. We’d all condemn such behaviour and would be disgusted by it. Most of us would be disgusted if Gaetz at 38 used his power and money to get a 17 year old into bed, but should it be a crime?
Then again, if you want to stop rich guys like Epstein in effect flying in 16 & 17 year old girls (and younger perhaps) to prostitute them, having this type of law would be a good start.
There’s also an analogy with our own laws about child pornography. An old guy can legally have sex with a 16 year old girl, but he commits an offence if he has a naked photo of her. And it becomes more bizarre when a 16 year old girl sexts a naked photo to her 16 year old boyfriend. Although they can legally have sex, that photo makes both the girl and the boy sex offenders.
Matt Gaetz, GOP Congressman and attack dog for Trump, is in the middle of a sex-trafficking scandal. It looks like he has come to the FBI’s notice during an investigation into a close Gaetz ally, Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg for sex-trafficking. I’ve seen a selfie taken by Greenberg of Gaetz & he with Roger Stone: birds of a feather.
It’s not altogether clear, but it looks as though the FBI is investigating an allegation that Gaetz, 38, paid for a 17 year old girl to travel between States with him or to visit him. Gaetz has made the extraordinary claim that there never was any 17 year old girl and he was the victim of an extortion attempt by a former FBI prosecutor who was demanding big dollars or he would smear him with this allegation. He claimed his father wore a wire on 2 occasions at the behest of the FBI to obtain evidence against the alleged blackmailer.
The problem for Gaetz is that the FBI is keeping mum about the investigation. If Gaetz were a totally innocent victim of an ex-FBI blackmailer, it would be incumbent on the FBI to acknowledge that. Even if Gaetz is correct about the blackmail attempt, that doesn’t mean he didn’t commit a sex-trafficking offence. It’s much easier to blackmail someone who’s guilty of a serious offence.
The other interesting feature of this case is that the investigation started while Bill Barr was the A/G and the FBI apparently kept Barr apprised of developments. That makes it harder for Gaetz to claim this has been cooked up by Biden allies.
You’d think that this would give the QIdiots pause, but no! They’re right behind Gaetz. They see the Deep State reaching out to hurt Trump and his allies. Won’t anyone think of the children? Apparently, no ...
As a side note, I’m not 100% convinced the US sex-trafficking laws are entirely reasonable. They turn on movement between States as that allows the Federal Government to claim jurisdiction over what would otherwise be State offences. In most States, I’d imagine the age of consent would be 16. That means there’s no offence committed where a 70 year old man has sex with a 16 year old girl. We’d all condemn such behaviour and would be disgusted by it. Most of us would be disgusted if Gaetz at 38 used his power and money to get a 17 year old into bed, but should it be a crime?
Then again, if you want to stop rich guys like Epstein in effect flying in 16 & 17 year old girls (and younger perhaps) to prostitute them, having this type of law would be a good start.
There’s also an analogy with our own laws about child pornography. An old guy can legally have sex with a 16 year old girl, but he commits an offence if he has a naked photo of her. And it becomes more bizarre when a 16 year old girl sexts a naked photo to her 16 year old boyfriend. Although they can legally have sex, that photo makes both the girl and the boy sex offenders.