this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2024
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politics

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[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 11 points 1 day ago

And Congress knew and knows about others yet they think that they should still be the ones leading our representative government.

Why are these people living on the people ?

[–] IDrawPoorly@lemm.ee 41 points 2 days ago (3 children)

So uh... why haven't "we" like... convicted and jailed him?

[–] MaxPow3r11@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Trump...same. Elon...same.

Pretty much anyone at the very top of government now...same.

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Hahaha you expect politicians to hold themselves accountable!? That would take things like integrity and honesty. You know honor, that thing the we just voted to kill forever.

[–] blarth@thelemmy.club 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, like, what the fuck? Don’t the rest of us go to jail if we do this?

[–] nomy@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

Well yeah but we're not born rich to the ruling class. Our fathers and grandfathers weren't Senators like Mattys were.

Rules for thee, not for me.

[–] Andromxda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The GOP is full of rapists, and it's nothing new.

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[–] roofTophopper@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How could he possibly not? How could people look at him and think he wouldn't? The dude FUCKING looks like some sort of evil villain. That or a Dollar Tree Beavis.

I knew about this years ago. You knew about it. Our neighbors knew about. But still we gotta go through this wishy washy bullshit from those who are supposed to be leaders saying that this is all suddenly "coming to light". Fuck no it isn't.

[–] teamevil@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

Fetal Alcohol syndrome evil Elvis is who I see but Dollar Tree Beavis is pretty spot on too

[–] OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works 35 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

That finger gonna be wore down soon bubba

[–] Zementid@feddit.nl 19 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So he is qualified. Only Rapists are allowed in.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Seriously, it wasn't even as lite as the titile makes it out to be.

"Gaetz did drugs while paying a child who hadnt even made it to her final year of high school while serving as a GOP representative and the GOP covered for him" would be more accurate

[–] nomy@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 day ago

"Matt Gaetz does Republican shit." would've been accurate.

[–] Rakonat@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

Paragon of conservative virtues and former leading figure of elected government officials, everyone.

[–] baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 102 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Fixed: Matt Gaetz, former Trump AG pick, ha~~d sex with~~ raped an underage girl while in Congress, House Ethics report says

A minor cannot consent.

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

In Florida a 17 year old can consent.

Matt Gaetz being older than 24 is the illegal part. He groomed a young girl.

Also, because he paid her, then the offense involves the procurement of a person who is under 18 years of age, so the charge increases to a second degree felony, which can result in up to 15 years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If it only costs $10,000 to do that then it's only illegal for poor people

[–] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Welcome to America.

Where "Speeding fine" has totally opposite meanings depending on how rich you are.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I like the Swiss and Finnish laws for speeders. The fine is based on your income.

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[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago (5 children)

No she couldn't consent to anyone over 24, which he was. Also, I would have to play catch-up, but if this is one of the girls he flew to New Jersey to have sex with... It's sex trafficking a minor right?

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[–] marx2k@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

har aped

Brutal.

[–] Korne127@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (5 children)

I don't know about this case, I can definitely imagine him raping that girl.

But from a European perspective, saying minors cannot consent is definitely one of these very stupid US takes. It is honestly insane that in the US 18 is treated like a god, and if one partner is some months older, it's illegal.
Obviously, minors can generally be influenced more easily than older people, and it's important to have safeguards in place, but such a statement is just genuinely ridiculous.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That’s not the case in this scenario, and rarely is. It varies by state, but Romeo and Juliet laws are common, which cover these kinds of circumstances.

Basically, the law will set an acceptable age gap where consent can happen; If the gap is 5 years, then a 17 year old won’t be able to consent to sex with a 30 year old, but can with an 18-22 year old. So it helps maintain the “this is obviously a child who was groomed by a creepy middle-aged person” statutory rape laws, while still allowing kids to date each other.

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[–] gift_of_gab@lemmy.world 138 points 3 days ago (5 children)

... had sex with an underage girl...

So, rape? Underage people can't consent, it's rape. He's a pedophile.

[–] nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zone 65 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yup. The report specifically found he violated FL statutory rape law, among other laws, but headlines continue to not call it what it is.

[–] gift_of_gab@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (5 children)

America's willingness to elect pedophiles/rapists to the highest positions in their country is... baffling. To then have their news not even use those words just makes me worry so much for women in the US. Like seriously, 'sex with underage girl,' we have specific words for that. Embarrassing.

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It's not baffling. Sad and terrible, but not baffling at all.

[–] gift_of_gab@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

As a non-American (Canadian), it's baffling to me. Our Conservatives have been quite horrific in many decisions (like refusing to admit climate change exists, for example), but I do actually think they would turn on one of their own who was a pedophile. Maybe not in a year or so, but for now, I do believe they would. To see people celebrate these monstrous things in their leaders is terrifying.

Yup. It’s a big club, and we ain’t in it.

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[–] wizblizz@lemmy.world 192 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The correct phrasing is raped. He raped a child.

[–] lemmylommy@lemmy.world 55 points 3 days ago (3 children)

No, he is influential and rich. So the most damning phrase can be „had sex with“. The alternatives were „seduced“ or „was seduced by“.

[–] Alph4d0g@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 day ago

Engaged in amorous behavior with a woman some years younger than him.

[–] M137@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

I wouldn't be surprised if they even go with "was raped by", that she did it just to get him in trouble and he had no choice.

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 days ago

"had relations with a young woman"

[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 46 points 3 days ago

Ok so now put him in jail wtf?

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 75 points 3 days ago (12 children)

And bitches wonder why we’re cheering Luigi, when shit like this doesn’t even matter?

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[–] Atelopus-zeteki@fedia.io 63 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Arrest him like the criminal he is.

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[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago (2 children)

matt gaetz, confirmed pedophile

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[–] Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world 42 points 3 days ago (11 children)

You know, I'm willing to believe that Gaetz genuinely didn't know the girl's age the first time they had sex. The report acknowledges as much. And I'm unwilling to accuse anybody, even someone as detestable as Gaetz, of something that they didn't do especially when there's evidence supporting their claim. And right now, there is plenty of evidence that he did not know she was underage when they had sex.

The first time.

Then he went back for seconds. Anyone who has ever been in an FWB relationship knows how it works. You don't just sit there and make an appointment for every Tuesday afternoon to just get together and quietly fuck like you're in a clinical trial or something. You don't get into an FWB relationship without getting to know someone. There's going to be small talk involved. Playful banter. Genuine conversation. And at some point in that conversation, age is going to come into play. Even if she doesn't directly say "I'm 17!!!", she's going to mention how much she hates the classes she's taking. Or her plans after she graduates. Or what she plans on being when she grows up. Or the fact she still lives at home. Something. Something is going to give away her age, or at the very least cause a reasonable person to at least start asking questions like "So what college do you go to?" to attempt to figure out how old she is.

And even if she's just being paid by an intermediary or something, small talk is still going to be involved. Even the most highly paid prostitute is going to engage in casual conversation to break the ice.

However it ended up, if it just happened once, I'd be willing to bet he genuinely didn't know her age. Then he went back for seconds. At that point, any reasonable person is going to believe he knew, and just didn't care.

[–] Glide@lemmy.ca 45 points 3 days ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (3 children)

Hot take: the difference between 17 and 18 doesn't actually matter, and the real problem is Matt Gaetz abused his position of power to coerce young, relatively powerless women into sex with him. Crossing the line of 17 vs 18 is so unimportant in this particular case. Matt Gaetz fights to maintain a system where young women have no power, and utilizes his socio-economic position in that system to sexually abuse those women. Whether she's just finishing up high school, or in her first year of university, we're still talking about a young women who feels like she needs that money to step forward in her life, and Matt Gaetz, and many others like him, are responsible for creating that need. To then use that need to get sexual gratification from those same young women is fucking disgusting, whether or not she's crossed the socially dictated line of "adulthood."

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[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So why did it take so long to release the report? From well before the election iirc. How is this not in the publics interest? Release the 'vote to release the report' vote also?

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