FLORIDIANS BALK AT MATT GAETZ’S SCHEDULED EVENT WITH SCHOOL KIDS
Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida firebrand under a federal investigation for the alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, has sparked a local furor over his upcoming appearance at a high school in Okaloosa County, Florida, where he is expected to speak directly with minors about their career aspirations in the military.
Most of the uproar appears to be led by Women Against Matt Gaetz, a 10,000-strong Facebook group of (mostly) women who have “had enough of Congressman Matt Gaetz and his offensive aggression toward women,” and are speaking out against Gaetz’s Tuesday visit at Niceville High School, a top-performing high school in the district. While a grand jury is reportedly investigating allegations of sex trafficking a minor, “it is just inappropriate for a sitting United States congressman to engage with young people, especially young women,” said Samantha Herring, the founder of Women Against Matt Gaetz. Per Herring, as of last week, 80% of the group’s members lived in Gaetz’s congressional district. The group plans to call on Gaetz’s colleagues in Congress to have the conservative lawmaker “step aside” until the “investigation is completed.”
The Justice Department is currently investigating Gaetz for three alleged crimes: paying women for sex, having a sexual relationship with a minor, and for paying that minor to travel with him across state lines (which would be in violation of sex trafficking laws).
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Glad to hear that a Congressman is facing the lynch mob of their own creation. Consider one of their children or loved ones on the registry, if they do not use their power to prevent it. Which I am sure they will do if they haven’t already.
What frustrates me when it comes to allegations against politicians is the fact that I was arrested, transported by private prisoner transport services that almost led to my death, and forced to spend money to bond out and returned home at my own expense on charges that were later dismissed due to innocence, all because I looked like a potential thief.
But if you’re a politician, you can have dozens of accusations but no arrests for years even with lots of evidence that is discussed publicly on the news.
There is simply little to no accountability when it comes to these people. Worse yet, there will be many who would defend them simply because of political alignment.
If Matt Gaetz was just a common womanizing drunk who likes ’em young he’d be stewing in a jail cell awaiting trial.
It is still innocent unless proven guilty and all but it is clear that the rich & powerful don’t have to endure what most of us endure when accused of a crime.
He is surely not ‘innocent til proven guilty.’ That principle is for a court of law. A high school may consider credible allegations against Matt Gaetz in deciding whether it’s ok for him to socialize with 17-year-olds. And the press should be free to report that he’s socializing with 17-year-olds while such allegations hanging over his head. They need not declare him innocent OR guilty.
If a deputy was suspected of beating inmates, would you keep him on the job because he is ‘innocent til proven guilty’? Would you want to see his union fight to protect his reputation?
No, you’d want to put that deputy on administrative leave, keeping him away from inmates while the matter is investigated and until it’s resolved. You might even want his case reported in the press in the meantime, so that people are aware and to keep the pressure on. You wouldn’t defend such a deputy on the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ unless you were his defense lawyer.
See how this works? We do not need to rush to the defense of Matt Gaetz if that makes us uncomfortable.