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.
So uh... why haven't "we" like... convicted and jailed him?
Yeah, like, what the fuck? Don’t the rest of us go to jail if we do this?
So he is qualified. Only Rapists are allowed in.
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
Paragon of conservative virtues and former leading figure of elected government officials, everyone.
That finger gonna be wore down soon bubba
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.
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.
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?
I think consent is the wrong word here. A 17 year old can consent to a subgroup of people (under 24). Therfore she is above the age of consent.
The girl has full control over her decisions but, more importantly, should not be charged with any crime.
Gaetz on the other hand ...
If it only costs $10,000 to do that then it's only illegal for poor people
Welcome to America.
Where "Speeding fine" has totally opposite meanings depending on how rich you are.
Isn't it a felony above a certain amount of speed, though?
That needs to be proven. An expensive traffic ticket attorney could get the charges dismissed (scrutinize the evidence, challenge the officer’s observations, find fault in equipment etc.).
I think 25+ is wreckless endangerment or some such and more illegal than other types of speeding. This is all based on my shitty memory. I just generally don't speed.
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.
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.
In some states they just straight up do the European thing where all that matters is being at least 16. In my state the age of consent is 16 and that's also the age where you can be tried as an adult. They recently voted on whether or not to raise the age, and they decided no.
There is still push for that to be changed, though only for the age of being tried as an adult. The former they're kinda keen on keeping where it is.
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.
You'll be relieved to know that this is never the case.
Let me tell you about Wisconsin: We regularly bump 17-year-old offenders into adult court. So, yes, we have had cases of 17-year-old couples tried as adults for having sex with a minor after they had sex with each other.
If the implication of that fact hasn't sunk in I'll make it explicit: We treat them as adults for the purposes of being a criminal, and a minor for the purposes of being a victim.
Ok that one is on me. I don't know why I expected Romeo and Juliet clauses to have some level of consistency in all states.
Actually it happens all the time
... had sex with an underage girl...
So, rape? Underage people can't consent, it's rape. He's a pedophile.
Yup. The report specifically found he violated FL statutory rape law, among other laws, but headlines continue to not call it what it is.
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.
It's not baffling. Sad and terrible, but not baffling at all.
Yup. It’s a big club, and we ain’t in it.
It is baffling, especially since this is the same country where people have been arrested for CP because they had photos of themselves.
It's the double standards in these laws that get me.
Just look at religion for answers to that puzzle. The entire schtick is a manual for giving yourself and your friends easy outs from your constant and consistent bad behaviour
Ok so now put him in jail wtf?
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?
The correct phrasing is raped. He raped a child.
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