Department of Justice announced today that they’re dropping any charges against 40-year-old Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.) for sex trafficking. Many Democrats are disappointed hoping to destroy Gaetz politically, a big past supporter of 76-year-old former President Donald Trump. Trump announced his third run for president Nov. 15, 2022, counting on loyalists like Gaetz to jump on the Trump bandwagon. “The Department of Justice has confirmed to Congressman Gaets’s attorneys that their investigation has concluded and that he will not be charged with any crimes,” the DOJ tatement said. Gaetz, a two-term Congressman, received national publicity for his vocal support of Trump, making him a pariah to the U.S. press. How the U.S. press gets away with its extreme prejudice against Trump or any other candidate for public office is anyone’s guess.
News in today’s America is tainted by Democrat political bias, with most members of the press strongly liberal. Instead of reporting facts, the press skews the facts against Republicans, with Gaetz being one of its favorite targets. Gaetz, a member of the ultra-right wing Freedom Caucus, unnerved fellow Republicans when he refused to back 58-year-old former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for House Speaker, taking the process an unprecedented 15 ballots. Things got so bad on the House floor, Gaetz nearly came to blows with 58 year-old Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Al.), who lashed out in frustration against Gaetz. But by far, Gaetz has been under the gun with the DOJ investigating whether he participated in sex-for-gifts with teenage girls, something that could have ended his career. Gaetz was a close friend of former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was convicted of sex trafficking.
Greenberg, with whom Gaetz attended the same parties, was charged, convicted and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for sex trafficking with under-aged minors. DOJ officials investigated a party in the Bahamas where Gaetz took with his hand-surgeon donor Jason Pirozzolo where Greenberg was charge with sex crimes. How Gaetz got off the hook is anyone’s guess but the DOJ dropped its investigation. Apart from Gaetz’s scrutiny by the DOJ, he was by far persecuted for his support of Trump, something that could come back to haunt him in 2024. Gaetz hasn’t announced any endorsement in the 2024 election, knowing that his 44-year-old friend Gov. Ron DeSantis might run in 2024. DeSantis has a lot of GOP donors encouraging him to jump into the ring, believing that the party needs a fresh face in 2024. President Joe Biden, 80, has not announced his intent yet.
Gaetz upped his political capital with the DOJ taking him out of the hot seat, dropping its investigation. Federal prosecutors also looked into whether or not Gaetz improperly took money or granted favors to the medical marijuana industry in Florida. On those grounds as well, federal prosecutors couldn’t find any credible evidence of wrongdoing by the 40-year-old Congressman. House Ethics Committee announced in April 2021 that it was looking into any improper dealings in Florida with the medial marijuana lobby. House ethics investigators aren’t likely to reach any conclusions about Gaetz’s ties to Florida’s medial marijuana lobby. At age 40, Gaetz plays close to the edge but so far has eluded any serious charges. If he plays his cards right, he could be a popular conservative in the GOP heading into 2014, possibly a kingmaker with DeSantis looking for support.
Gaetz’s had the media put a target on his back for his past support of Trump, especially in the wake of the FBI’s Aug. 8, 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid. Gaetz gave Trump the benefit of the doubt all Democrats various charges, especially about the classified files and Jan. 6, 2020 Capitol riots. Gaetz infuriated Democrats and the press not jumping on lets charge Trump bandwagon. Now that the DOJ decided to not charge Gaetz, look for the high profile young congressman to rise steadily in GOP ranks. If Gaetz presses DeSantis to keep the Trump agenda, including his opposition to the Ukraine War, he’ll find himself getting more traction for the GOP nominee. There’s enough folks in the GOP looking or a new face in 2024. DeSantis could benefit from the desire of voters to move one from geriatric politicians, whether Trump or Biden, and sneak into the White House in 2024.
Cleared from the DOJ for any wrongdoing in the sex trafficking scandal, the sky is the limit for Gaetz looking to move up in GOP ranks. If he keeps his principles of limited government and America First, he’ll help DeSantis win over a lot of Trump voters who will eventually realize that DeSantis is more electable than Trump in 2024. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, 49, needs to work feverishly to confront pernicious Democrat and media propaganda about how Republicans would rob citizens on their Social Security and Medicare. Democrats and the press did such an effective job of discrediting Trump in 2020, it handed the public Biden with all that’s gone wrong. Cleared of wrongdoing, Gaetz looks to jump to the top of the GOP heap, pushing DeSantis in 2024 to carry on the Trump agenda, only giving the party a new look.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
