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UH-OH: Matt Gaetz Associate PLEADS GUILTY to Trafficking
Congressman Matt Gaetz's associate Joel Greenberg has pleaded guilty to six federal crimes, including sex trafficking of a teen. This is the exact same crime that Gaetz himself is being investigated for by the US Justice Department, so this news sounds a lot like a warning shot at the congressman. As a reminder, Joel Greenberg is a former tax collector in Florida's Seminole county. It is alleged that the two worked together to recruit and traffic underage girls. The specific admission from the court case is that Greenberg recruited women for commercial sex acts and paid them more than $70,000 between 2016 and 2018. In addition to sex trafficking of a teen, Greenberg also pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft, stalking, and fraud. The six charges were down from an initial total of 33, suggesting that perhaps some were dropped due to Greenberg cooperating with investigators over Gaetz’s involvement in the scheme.
Hopefully soon we will find out if there will be any accountability for Matt Gaetz for his alleged role in these crimes. Gaetz in recent weeks has been defiant against the accusations, including when he went on Tucker Carlson’s show and defended himself against things that weren’t even being alleged of him at the time. He has also been holding these pro-Trump rallies with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wherein he makes the scandal sound like it was concocted by Democrats and the media. Interestingly enough, many of the diehard Gaetz supporters are part of the QAnon / Pizzagate-promoting conspiracy theorist wing of the Republican Party that obsesses over issues like child sex trafficking. But they have so warped their perception of reality, that they think Matt Gaetz is one of their allies and that these accusations against him are bunk. We’ll see if anyone sticks by Gaetz if/when he is ever prosecuted.
Billionaire Trump Immediately Takes $65,000 Presidential Pension
Former President Donald Trump claims to be a multi-billionaire, despite never being able to prove it. During his presidency, he made a big deal out of donating his $400,000 presidential salary back to federal agencies, saying he was so rich that he didn't need the money. And yet, this supposed multi-billionaire is now taking a $65,000 pension from the presidential pension fund. The weirdest thing about this is that that number sounds awfully small for a billionaire. To someone who has as much money as Trump claims to have, $65,000 is negligible. This is equivalent to someone with the median US net worth of $121,760 going through a process to request a pension worth $3.40. Certainly being a former president comes with many perks. There's lifetime Secret Service protection. Former presidents also receive travel reimbursements, medical insurance, and a budget for an office and staff. But when it comes to this relatively small pension amount, is Trump just too greedy and too cheap to turn anything down? Or does he actually need the money or anticipate needing the money soon?
From yesterday’s show:
Shocking Video of Marjorie Taylor Greene Harassing AOC
An outrageous and shocking video surfaced this week of now-Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene showing up at the House of Representatives back in February 2019. The purpose of her visit was to harass Alexandria Ocasio Cortez who was at that time a brand new member of Congress herself. Greene is seen on video going to AOC’s office and taunting her through a mail slot on the door from the hallway. Surrounded by an entourage, Green said, “I’m a woman, I’m a female business owner, and I’m proud to be an American woman. And I do not support your socialist policies and I do not support your murderous abortion policies.” She went on to say stuff like “if you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper.” Greene’s rant sounds like it’s coming from someone who has serious problems to work out rather than coming from a future member of the House of Representatives. To this day, Greene makes a habit of accosting Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to the point where she sounds completely obsessed.
--More on the show:
--Kyle Riismandel, Senior University Lecturer in the Department of History at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the author of "Neighborhood of Fear: The Suburban Crisis in American Culture, 1975-2001," joins David to discuss the history, economics, and political power of the suburbs. Get the book: https://amzn.to/3frVdEf
--41% of Republicans are still refusing to get the COVID vaccine, a very similar number to one month ago
--Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde, who previously denied there was an insurrection on January 6th, is spotted in multiple pictures barricading the doors of the House of Representatives on January 6th against the Trump rioters
--It is revealed that Donald Trump, in a tantrum after losing the 2020 election, tried to pull all American military troops from around the world
--Fox News is completely out of ideas as the Biden presidency avoids scandal, with Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham desperate to concoct controversies
--Voicemail caller gives helpful advice for people seeking to avoid statutory rape charges against them
--On the Bonus Show: Pro-tax millionaires protest at Jeff Bezos' homes, SCOTUS restricts police authority to enter homes, overwork killed 745,000+ people in a year, much more...
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