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The Player

The House Ethics Committee released the Gaetz report today. It was even worse than we thought:

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., paid for sex with a 17-year-old who “had just completed her junior year in high school,” according to a House Ethics Committee report that accuses the one-time attorney general nominee of potentially spending more than $90,000 on sex and drugs while a member of Congress.

A draft of the final report, first obtained by CBS News and other outlets, was made public following a committee vote earlier this month to release the panel’s findings. Gaetz, who was investigated for alleged sex trafficking by the Department of Justice, has not been charged with a crime.

“The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report states, per CBS News.

In particular, the report — based on interviews, text messages and a review of Venmo and PayPal receipts — accuses Gaetz of paying $400 to have sex with an underage girl, while noting that “she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”

Investigators also allege that there is “substantial evidence” that Gaetz routinely used illegal drugs, referred to as “vitamins” and “party favors” in text messages, some of which he appears to have purchased from his Capitol Hill office.

That’s the man Trump chose to lead the United States Department of Justice. I have to assume it was largely because he related to him. After all:

Four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant said Donald Trump walked into the dressing room while contestants — some as young as 15 — were changing.

“I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here,’ ” said Mariah Billado, the former Miss Vermont Teen USA.

Trump, she recalled, said something like, “Don’t worry, ladies, I’ve seen it all before.”

Three other women, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of getting engulfed in a media firestorm, also remembered Trump entering the dressing room while girls were changing. Two of them said the girls rushed to cover their bodies, with one calling it “shocking” and “creepy.” The third said she was clothed and introduced herself to Trump.

[…]

Three days before Kind made his statement, CNN reported on comments Trump has made about women to radio talk show host Howard Stern over the years. In a 2005 interview, Trump talked about walking in on naked contestants — but that was in response to a discussion about the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, whose contestants are adults. Trump said:

Well, I’ll tell you the funniest is that I’ll go backstage before a show, and everyone’s getting dressed and ready and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere. And I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it. You know, I’m inspecting, I want to make sure that everything is good.

Trump repeatedly said that he wished he could date his daughter. And, needless to say, he is credibly accused of assaulting dozens of women, including E. Jean. Carroll.

A pig knows a pig. And they’re both pigs.

Yesterday at the Turning Point MAGAlo confab, Trump called Gaetz his friend and said he has a big career ahead of him. Gaetz said he might run for Rubio’s seat. Who knows? The way we’re going he’ll be the GOP nominee in 2028. He’s certainly got the right credentials to be the successor to Dear Leader.


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