This was at a time when Gaetz was already well aware of a federal DOJ investigation against him for child sex trafficking crimes, although he neglected to advise the White House or Trump of that liability. The White House declined to give Gaetz the pardon due to the fact that it might create the wrong impression.
But it gets worse, a whole lot worse. Because, when Gaetz petitioned the White House for a blanket pardon for charges yet unfiled, he also made the same plea for other unnamed members of the House GOP caucus! Which means that Gaetz isn’t the only criminal member of the House GOP caucus.
Now look, let’s not get ahead of our skis here. I am not suggesting that Gaetz is aware of other GOP House members who are involved in his child sex trafficking ring. There is absolutely no evidence of that. But what it does show is that Gaetz may well be aware of other GOP House caucus members who were at least subject to DOJ criminal investigation, and was seeking to cover for them.
Which now becomes a much larger problem, not only for Gaetz, but for the House GOP caucus. Because the person for whom Gaetz is associated in his own crimes, Joel Greenberg, is under federal indictment for 33 crimes, and is scheduled to go on trial in June. Greenberg is not a stand up guy. Faced with decades in prison, I find it likely that Greenberg will flip on the only fish larger than himself, namely Matt Gaetz.
Which is a major problem for the entire GOP House caucus, because Matt Gaetz is most certainly no stand up guy either. Gaetz is a rich, spoiled, pampered rich kid, whose Daddy already bought him out of a DUI that could have had his license revoked. And if Gaetz is suddenly faced with with Joel Greenberg rolling over on him to lighten his sentence, there is only one thing left for Matt Gaetz left to do.
He will than immediately roll over on every, single, GOP member of congress on which he has any dirt, and which was serious enough in potential for Gaetz to petition the White House for pardons for them too. All I know is that if I’m a GOP House member with a secret to hide, I’m calling a criminal defense attorney right now.
This is the problem for the current Trump iteration of the GOP. Political parties used to be made up of career politicians, who tool their chances, and if they got caught, took their time. But the current Trump iteration of the GOP is made of u[p of soulless glory seekers looking for the headlines and the cash. And when they go down, they’ll take everybody else down with them. It’s a brave new words.