Gaetz gets ahead of ethics report release with admission about his 'single days'



Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted last month to block the results of the panel's investigation into former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, which apparently detail claims that Gaetz had sex with a minor and engaged in illicit drug use. On Dec. 5, House Republicans spiked a Democratic-pushed resolution to release the report. That same day, the committee indicated it had resumed discussions of "the matter of Representative Matt Gaetz."

Unnamed sources told CNN and confirmed to The Hill this week that the House Ethics Committee ultimately voted in secret to release the report before year's end.

In an apparent attempt to get ahead of the release, Gaetz issued a statement on X Wednesday providing some context for what the American people might read about him in the days to come as well as about the alleged nature of the people who conducted the investigation.

"The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes," wrote Gaetz, who was briefly President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Justice Department. "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me."

'I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.'

"Then, the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I've had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I've never been charged. I've never been sued," continued the former Florida congressman. "Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body."

The committee's ultimate decision to release the report means one or more Republican members would have needed to flip. The Republican members of the committee are as follows: Reps. Michael Guest (Miss.), David Joyce (Ohio), John Rutherford (Fla.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), and Michelle Fischbach (Minn.).

The committee did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Rep. Guest confirmed to The Hill that the committee held its final meeting of the 118th Congress last week but did not divulge what they discussed.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18," Gaetz said in his statement. "Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court."

Gaetz continued, writing, "My 30s were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too. It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now."

The former congressman added, "But at least I didn't vote for CRs that f*** over the country!"

After Trump announced on Nov. 13 that he wanted Gaetz to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Florida Republican resigned from Congress. Some of Gaetz's colleagues reportedly speculated that his resignation had something to do with the Ethics Committee's report. After all, the panel lacks jurisdiction over former members and even CNN admitted it is "exceedingly rare" for such a report to be released after a House member's departure.

Less than two weeks after Gaetz's resignation, he withdrew from his AG nomination, noting that "it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the crucial work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

The report will likely be made public later this week.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz's communications director resigns amid further serious allegations against lawmaker



Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's communications director has resigned after the lawmaker was hit with further claims amid the Justice Department's investigation into alleged sexual misconduct.

Gaetz vehemently denies all of the accusations made against him and says he is "not resigning."

What are the details?

MSNBC first reported Friday that Luke Ball, Gaetz's communications director, "quit out of principle," according to an unnamed person familiar with the matter.

Ball has not yet responded to several requests for comment on the matter, but Gaetz's office issued a statement later in the day saying that "The Office of Congressman Matt Gaetz and Luke Ball have agreed that it would be best to part ways. We thank him for his time in our office, and we wish him the best moving forward."

On Tuesday, Gaetz acknowledged to Axios that the DOJ is investigating him over allegations of sexual misconduct, after The New York Times reported the probe and claims that the lawmaker had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old. The Times noted that "investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws" by allegedly paying for the minor to travel with him.

Gaetz, 38, said that accusations are completely false, and claimed they were drummed up as part of an extortion plot from criminals trying to get $25 million from his father. He told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that the man who led the scheme is a former Justice Department official named David McGee. McGee denies Gaetz's claims.

On Tuesday, The Times reported in a follow-up piece that the DOJ is focusing on Gaetz and indicted former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg's "involvement with multiple women who were recruited online for sex and received cash payments" from the men in exchange for drug-fueled hotel romps. Greenberg, an ally of Gaetz's, currently faces several felony charges including sex trafficking of a minor.

The story goes on to say:

In some cases, Mr. Gaetz asked women to help find others who might be interested in having sex with him and his friends, according to two people familiar with those conversations. Should anyone inquire about their relationships, one person said, Mr. Gaetz told the women to say that he had paid for hotel rooms and dinners as part of their dates.

Gaetz's office said in response to the report that "Matt Gaetz has never paid for sex," and the lawmaker "refutes all the disgusting allegations completely." It added that "Matt Gaetz cherishes the relationships in his past and looks forward to marrying the love of his life."

CNN then reported late Tuesday that Gaetz allegedly showed House colleagues nude photos and videos of females while bragging that he had slept with the women.

Gaetz denies all the reports, and told The Washington Examiner in a text, "I'm not resigning."

Anything else?

The Daily Mail reported Friday that Gaetz "is expected to be indicted within the next few weeks," after "the alleged victim, who has not been named, testified before a Florida grand jury this week saying she had sex with the conservative Republican before she turned 18."

Female reporter comes out with bullying, intimidation allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo



A former journalist said recently that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and his administration bullied and attempted to intimidate her, according to the New York Post.

What is a brief history here?

The woman, Lindsay Nielsen, is just one of several people who have come forward with allegations that the New York governor bullied and attempted to intimidate them.

Karen Hinton, a woman who once worked as Cuomo's press secretary, says that the New York governor is a master of "penis politics" and has a "penchant for bullying." She also insisted that Cuomo worked to undermine her and her experience on a regular basis while under his employ.

New York journalist Morgan Pehme claimed last week that Cuomo "terrorized" him for doing his job as a journalist.

Cuomo also reportedly threatened Assemblyman Ron Kim (D) for calling out Cuomo's "BS" as the state's ongoing COVID-19-nursing home scandal continues to unfold. During a phone conversation, Cuomo reportedly told Kim, "You have not seen my wrath. I have been biting my tongue for months. I can tell the whole world what a bad person you are and you will be finished. You will be destroyed."

A Cuomo senior adviser hit back at Kim's claims, alleging that the assemblyman was "lying about his conversation" with the governor, and insisted Cuomo never made those remarks.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that reports about Cuomo's purported conversation were not surprising, and that the alleged bullying was "classic Andrew Cuomo."

"A lot of people in New York state have received those phone calls," he added. "I believe Ron Kim and it's very, very sad. No public servant, no person who is telling the truth, should be treated that way. The threats, the belittling, the demand that someone change their statement right that moment — many, many times I've heard that and I know a lot of other people in the state that have heard that."

What are the details?

In a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday, Nielsen wrote, "'You have a vendetta against him don't you!' That was the last time I allowed someone connected to Governor Andrew Cuomo's administration to harass and manipulate me. It was during one of the many accusatory and threatening phone calls I received by his staff members that I realized this behavior was never going to stop."

"It was shortly thereafter that I decided to leave my job at News10," she continued. "The late night phone calls from the administration, the constant threats to call my boss, the incessant bullying to try and get me to stop doing my job and reporting specific stories ... it would never end. The tactics used were deliberate yet evasive. They skimmed the line of inappropriateness ever so delicately as to make you feel like they were acceptable."

Nielsen concluded the post, "I am writing this today to make sure that those involved in this behavior back then now know that not only was it not acceptable but also that it was damaging. I applaud those who have come forward recently with reports of similar behavior by the same administration."

I have something to say today. https://t.co/qz0EkC5cD5
— Lindsay Nielsen (@Lindsay Nielsen)1614551199.0

What else?

Nielsen told the New York Post that what she went through felt like "personal attacks" though she was simply trying to do her job as a journalist.

"It was very harassing," she added.

The Post reported, "Nielsen explained that when she'd reach out to Cuomo's office for comment on a story she often would not get a response — only to then get a barrage of phone calls demanding changes after it was published."

She told the outlet, "They would make it person, claiming I have this personal vendetta against the governor, which is absolutely bogus. I was doing my job as a journalist. All I was ever trying to do was report the story, report the facts."

Nielsen said that she decided to come forward with the accusations after other women stepped forward with what she said were similar stories.

"I don't want another reporter to have to go through that," she explained. "That's why I did it."

School district investigating accusation that high school teacher watched porn during virtual class



A Florida school district is investigating allegations that a teacher was watching pornography during a recent virtual learning session with his high school students.

What are the details?

According to the New York Post, Michael Braeseke — a social sciences teacher at South Broward High School — is facing the accusations after video of him sitting at a desk and looking down went viral.

In the video, Braeseke sits with what appears to be a faint smirk on his face while a woman can be heard in the background screaming "Oh my God" in apparent ecstasy.

A former student obtained the recording of the virtual class and shared it to social media, where it quickly went viral and caught the attention of the district.

The former student, Elijah Ruby, shared the video to Twitter writing, "South Broward high school teacher Mr. Micheal Braseke [sic] watches pornography in class. This teacher is a known pervert who has made inappropriate advances toward students in the past."

Tagging the school's principal, Patricia Brown, Ruby added, "How can you let this happen?"

Brown responded by writing, "As a survivor myself, I would never ignore concerns expressed. Social media is not the best medium to address issues of this importance. Please encourage others to email/call me. They ARE loved & valued!"

@elijahruby3 My student’s welfare is always of the utmost importance & always will be. As a survivor myself, I woul… https://t.co/B9gGiPdYAF
— Principal Brown (@Principal Brown)1607998082.0

According to the Miami Herald, district officials launched a probe into the video on Tuesday.

A statement from Broward County Public Schools said, "Broward County Public Schools takes all matters and allegations involving the safety of students and staff very seriously. When school leaders were made aware of the alleged teacher misconduct during a virtual class, they took immediate action and began to look into allegations and follow proper protocols prior to social media posts. The incident and allegations were reported to the District's Special Investigative Unit to initiate an internal investigation. The District and school administration remain committed to the safety and emotional well-being of students."

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