The story behind the accusations against Matt Gaetz that no one is talking about



Virtually all of Trump’s cabinet picks have resulted in the left throwing a fit, but no one has sparked more controversy than former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who is poised to replace Merrick Garland as attorney general should the Senate confirm him.

Besides being unapologetically brash and outspoken against the establishment, Gaetz is ruffling feathers because he’s had some serious allegations filed against him, the most notable being accusations of sex trafficking.

However, no indictments have followed, meaning that the scandal has either been buried intentionally or the accusations are false and this entire ordeal is a smear campaign.

Liz Wheeler is leaning towards the latter.

“We are going to untangle exactly who is behind the accusations against Matt Gaetz,” she says. “When you hear the whole story written out in a timeline of exactly what happened, when it happened, it is quite a phenomenal story.”


“Whenever [Gaetz] is mentioned in the mainstream media, for example, he’s always mentioned as being under ethics review by the U.S. House or having faced sex trafficking allegations,” she points out.

It’s important to establish that “people in Washington D.C. don’t like Matt Gaetz,” partially because “he was kind of a playboy,” partially because “he’s kind of obnoxious,” but most importantly because he’s been “a fighter for Trump” since 2016, she explains, adding that immediately following his election to Congress, Gaetz began butting heads with establishment GOPers.

“What happens in Washington, D.C., when you’re disliked by the establishment is that makes you a target,” Liz explains.

And that seems to be exactly what happened to him.

In 2020, the FBI suddenly started investigating Matt Gaetz for “allegedly having a relationship with a minor — a 17-year-old girl — ... and paying for her to travel over state lines.”

“If an allegation like this is true, then that’s the definition of sex trafficking,” says Liz. “So that’s where the sex trafficking allegations come into play.”

However, the person who enlightened the FBI to Gaetz’ alleged crimes is a scandal in and of himself.

The accuser’s name is Joel Greenberg, and he’s a former Florida tax collector who was indicted on 33 criminal accounts, including sex trafficking, theft, stalking, and cryptocurrency fraud, among others. Greenberg alleged that he was friends with Matt Gaetz.

Following Greenberg’s accusations, the Department of Justice began investigating Gaetz for a period of two years.

While the investigation was going on, “Gaetz said that he and his dad were the victims or were targeted for extortion.”

And he was correct — a businessman named Stephen Alford indeed tried to extort Don Gaetz for $25 million in exchange for making the investigation against his son “go away.”

“Gaetz and his dad instead cooperated with the local FBI office, and it resulted in Alford’s arrest, and he pled guilty to extortion,” says Liz.

Fast forward to later in 2022, and Biden’s DOJ announced it would not bring any charges against Matt Gaetz. The investigation was closed because both Greenberg and the 17-year-old girl Gaetz allegedly trafficked were found to be “non-credible.”

“In other words, they were such bad liars that even the Biden Department of Justice thought, ‘There’s no way that these two could be believable,”’ says Liz. “This is the Biden Department of Justice — the Biden Department of Justice that invents things in order to target their political enemy. ... There was so much nothing to these allegations that even the Biden DOJ dropped them.”

But there’s another layer to the story.

Back in 2021, an ethics investigation was opened on Matt Gaetz but was soon paused when the DOJ began its investigation into the sex trafficking allegations.

Then, in 2022, before former speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy was elected, certain GOPers demanded a “series of reforms,” one of them being “that any single member of the House of Representatives could motion to vacate the chair.”

“Well, that fight was led by Matt Gaetz,” says Liz. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted and replaced by Mike Johnson in 2023 as a result of the policy Gaetz championed, “hates Matt Gaetz.”

Prior to his removal, “the McCarthy-led House revived the ethics investigation.”

“In October 2023, Matt Gaetz motioned to vacate the chair, and McCarthy became the first speaker in U.S. history to be ousted,” says Liz.

“Kevin McCarthy claims that Matt Gaetz did this to squash the ethics investigation into him. Gaetz claims it’s because McCarthy was failing to uphold his promises, and now here we are in 2024. Matt Gaetz is nominated by president-elect Trump to be attorney general of the Department of Justice of the United States of America,” Liz explains.

The nomination led to Gaetz resigning from Congress, meaning that he can no longer be investigated by the Ethics Committee. Further, any reports it may possess “cannot be released publicly” now.

Liz calls the scandals surrounding Gaetz “personal, petty, political grievances”; “a character assassination of the worst kind”; and a “smear campaign from the depths of hell.”

To hear more of her commentary, watch the episode above.

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WATCH: Exclusive footage of the moment Diddy is arrested



If you haven’t heard, Sean “Diddy” Combs — and likely much of Hollywood — is in hot water after the U.S. Justice Department unsealed charges against the famous rapper.

The charges allege that he abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.

Diddy reportedly accomplished this by relying on the employees and influence of the multifaceted business empire that he led and controlled. Under his leadership, this business empire became a “criminal enterprise” that allegedly included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors have alleged that Diddy “engaged in persistent and pervasive patterns of abuse towards women and other individuals.”

Diddy also threw and engaged in “sex parties” that were referred to as “freak offs” — which apparently could last for days. At these parties, commercial sex workers allegedly were transported across state and international lines, women allegedly were forced to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers, and heavy drug use allegedly was involved.

Since these allegations came to light, many celebrities have begun deleting their social media feeds.

“Suddenly now, a bunch of big-time musicians have deleted their Twitter accounts. Usher’s Twitter account has disappeared,” Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” tells Clay Travis, noting that Pink’s account disappeared as well.

“The whole thing sounds like a honeypot,” he adds.

Travis believes it “feels Epstein-esque.”

“There was video being made of sex acts that may have been used for blackmail going forward, and the fact that he has not been able to get out on bail,” he continues, adding, “I think Diddy’s going to get killed.”


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R. Kelly found guilty on all counts in sex trafficking trial, faces life in prison for sexually abusing boys, girls, and women for decades



R&B musician R. Kelly — real name Robert Sylvester Kelly — was found guilty of sexually abusing women, boys, and girls for several decades.

He faces 10 years to life in prison in connection with the charges.

What are the details?

The 54-year-old Kelly was convicted on all nine counts, including racketeering and 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, and sex trafficking charges, and also faced eight additional violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law that prohibits transport of "any woman or girl" across state lines for nefarious purposes.

A New York federal jury of seven men and five women reached the unanimous verdict after two days of deliberations as the monthlong trial concluded.

"This case is not about a celebrity who likes to party a lot," Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez said during her opening statement in August. "This case is about a predator."

Kelly is set to be sentenced on May 4.

The verdict comes 13 years after an Illinois jury acquitted him of child pornography charges.

What else?

According to CNN, at least 50 prosecution and defense witnesses took the stand during the trial, including several "Jane Does."

There were 45 prosecution witnesses, and "Jane Doe 1" was late R&B star Aaliyah Dana Haughton — known professionally as Aaliyah — who died in 2001.

"Jurors heard from multiple witnesses who were present at [Haughton's] marriage to Kelly on August 31, 1994, when he was 27 and she was 15," the outlet reported. "Prosecutors showed copies of the couple's marriage license application, which listed Aaliyah's age as 18 at the time of their wedding, as well as their marriage license and marriage certification."

Kelly's former manager testified and admitted that he bribed a worker at a Chicago-area welfare office to create a fraudulent ID for the late singer.

Kelly was said to have married Aaliyah because he falsely believed he impregnated her.

Another witness said that she met Kelly when she was just 17 years old, and noted that he willingly invited her to his studio despite being fully aware of her underage status.

The witness added that he sexually abused her following that time and reportedly recorded the two having sex.

He was also accused of entrapping a woman in a room at his studio where she was kept for several days and only let out to occasionally use the bathroom and shower. She believed that Kelly visited the room and sexually assaulted her during periods of unconsciousness.

A response

Kelly's attorney, Deveraux Cannick, said that his client was surprised by the verdict, and that the government "cherry-picked" damning evidence.

"You didn't get to see what we saw in terms of the discovery. You didn't get to see all the inconsistencies," Cannick insisted. "We said in our summation that the government cherry-picked their version that they thought would support the continuation of the narrative."

Cannick added, "Why would he expect this verdict given all the inconsistencies that we saw?"

In a statement, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Jacquelyn M. Kasulis said, "Today's guilty verdict forever brands R. Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification."

Noting that Kelly is a "predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation," Kasulis added that justice had finally been served.

"To the victims in this case, your voices were heard and justice was finally served," Kasulis continued. "This conviction would not have been possible without the bravery and resilience of R. Kelly's victims. I applaud their courage in revealing in open court, the painful, intimate and horrific details of their lives with him. No one deserves what they experienced at his hands or the threats or harassment they faced about telling the truth about what happened to them.

"We hope that today's verdict bring some measure of comfort and closure to the victims," she added.

At least 15 women come forward and accuse rapper and his wife of sex trafficking and more



Rapper T.I. — real name Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. — and his wife Tameka Cottle are facing allegations of sex trafficking and forcing women to do drugs.

Cottle has spoken out in defense of her husband against the allegations.

No criminal charges have been filed at the time of this reporting.

What are the details?

According to a Thursday report from Hot97, the allegations began emerging on Tuesday, when Sabrina Peterson — an apparent former family friend — said that Harris once pulled out a gun and put it to her head.

On Tuesday, Peterson took to Instagram and made the claims.

"The sad part about being a woman & BEING A BLACK WOMAN IS THIS! The public PRAISES OUR PREDATORS! @troubleman31 you PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD IN FRONT OF CHILDREN & I NEVER CALLED THE POLICE ON YOU! But for years you have painted me as the VILLAIN! AS BLACK WOMEN!" Peterson wrote.

She continued, "It's hard to heal from RAPE, VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU ARE PAINTED AS THE PROBLEM OR REASON THIS HAS HAPPENED TO YOU! LETS NORMALIZE THE ALLOWING BLACK WOMEN TO HEAL! It's so hard being the VICTIM OF RAPE & BEING PAINTED AS THE REASON IT HAPPENED!"

Elsewhere in the comments section of her now-viral post, Peterson said that Harris put a gun to her head because she was reportedly engaging in a physical altercation with his assistant.

Complex on Wednesday reported that Cottle — also known by her nickname, "Tiny" — "ventured into the comment section of The Shade Room" where she claimed that Peterson was guilty of harassment.

"Hold up," she wrote. "So you want your abuser to train your sons? He was just uncle 2 years ago. Now when did you say my husband assaulted you? Did you change your mind or change it back? What wit you today Pooh? I'm confused. Stop Harassing My Family. You strange. Everybody know you been special (face slicing seminar lady). Please get help but LEAVE US ALONE."

Despite Cottle's rebuttal, the allegations kept on coming.

What happened next?

On Friday, the International Business Times reported that at least 15 people have come forward and have accused Harris of varying degrees of abuse.

A variety of messages, compiled by Rap-Up, feature the women's allegations.

One anonymous woman said that she was victimized in a 2016 incident. According to the report, "She claims she went to T.I. and Tiny's hotel suite at the Ritz-Carlton, where her phone was confiscated and molly and cocaine was being distributed."

The woman wrote, "I watched him drag girls back and forth from the bedroom, to the bathroom, to the living room. One girl was crying because she wanted to leave but they refused to give her her phone to call an Uber."

"Calling him an 'absolute monster who uses money and power to manipulate people' and Tiny his 'secret weapon,' she claimed the rapper allegedly told his security to come 'pick this bitch up off the bed' because she could not walk. The alleged victim was 'almost unconscious' and her pulse was 'barely there,' the woman added," according to the outlet.

Another woman said that she was working as a personal escort in 2013 when the couple invited her to take drugs and engage in sexual relations with the rapper and his wife in return for payment.

"She claimed Tiny got upset that T.I. was showing her more attention and hit her before the rapper 'choked' her out," the report alleged.

The woman added, "I was threatened to the point where I was in fear[.] I left Atlanta and never looked back."

The outlet also cites the testimony of another female, who said that the rapper reportedly pressured her and her friend for sex in 2005 when she was under the age of 18.

The report notes that Harris pressured the duo despite "knowing they were minors."

"A separate woman alleged that the couple drugged women to the point that they could not hold their heads up and then raped them with sex toys, and another claimed T.I. and Tiny forced her friend to take coke and molly and tried to have a threesome with her in Atlanta between 2017 and Jan. 2019."

Peterson has begun compiling all of the allegations against the rapper and his wife, all of which you can view here.

Requests for comment from Harris' representatives went unanswered in time for publication.

What did the couple say?

On Friday afternoon, Variety reported that the couple "emphatically" denied the allegations in a statement.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them by Sabrina Peterson. The Harrises have had difficulty with this woman for well over a decade. They are taking this matter very seriously," the statement said.

Married Florida former tax collector accused of child sex trafficking in disturbing case



Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector has been charged with federal charges of child sex trafficking.

He also faces charges after reportedly illegally using the state's Department of Motor Vehicles database to look up information on minors and women to solicit "sugar daddy" relationships.

Greenberg, who is married, has denied all claims and charges against him.

What are the details?

Greenberg, submitted his resignation from the post in June.

According to reports, Greenberg reportedly paid for sex with an underage girl who was reportedly between the ages of 14 and 17 years.

Investigators say that Greenberg illegally used the DMV website to procure her personal information, and in order to make contact with her in 2017. The liaison reportedly took place spanning six months.

A criminal indictment filed against Greenberg on Friday alleges six counts against Greenberg in addition to six other counts from two previous federal grand jury indictments.

The former tax collector also stands accused of violating the Driver's Privacy Protection Act.

Authorities say that the minor in question wasn't the only woman with which he reportedly engaged in "sugar daddy" relationship.

The indictment states that Greenberg used his status to acquire personal information to "produce false identification documents and to facilitate his efforts to engage in commercial sex acts."

Previous indictments stem from other incidents that took place as early as 2015 after he was accused of faking a Florida state driver's license of an adult. He was also accused of stealing surrendered driver's licenses to reportedly manufacture fraudulent identification cards.

In a statement, Greenberg's attorney Vincent Citro said, "We vigorously deny the allegations in the second superseding indictment. The government will not be able to prove this case, and we look forward to prevailing at trial."

In total, Greenberg faces up to 12 federal charges including child sex trafficking, identity theft and stalking, producing false identification, and unlawful use of means of identification of another person.

He is due in court in an Aug. 27 arraignment.

You can read more of his history with the law here.