204 Comments
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I guess we can assume the House Ethics Committee report was not very favorable.

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Ya think????? I want it leaked to the press.

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Def not. What I'd like to know though is who is arranging for those girls to get to the party???

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That person is in the Florida Fun House.

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founding

Rumor has him being appointed by DeSantis to replace Rubio...another travesty!

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The shit never ends, does it?

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Oh gods help us. Yeah, that would fit.

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I read No.

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I don’t see what reason DeSantis would have for doing that.

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Probably someone up for a post in this disaster of an administration.

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I believe it was his buddy, Greenberg - who is now in the jug on an 11 year sentence.

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Finally 😊

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🤣

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Now I'm seeing rumors that Trump forced him out as he was afraid Gaetz would be rejected and make Trump look like a loser. Hopefully it's only the start of resistance having some impact.

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😂😂😂

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But he's out of the House now too, so it's a win-win!

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He was in trouble in the House too with the Ethics Report breathing down on him. Again, why he's never been tried criminally for these clear violations or even perhaps tax fraud for the payments is mind boggling.

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Thank Merrick Garland for that.

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Thank his rich, influential dad who lives in the Florida Panhandle for Matt to get by with everything!

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Daddy Gaetz has been bailing out Baby Gaetz his whole life. Hmm! Sound like somebody we know?

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Hopefully he never runs for any office again.

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Maybe he'll run for Governor? White boots is probably done grifting there.

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DeSantistan would welcome such a moron, no doubt...I live here, strange times!

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Ronnie the D is term limited, he's out soon regardless. Gaetz was definitely planning to make a run, maybe not so much anymore.

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IDK, people seem to like perverts in the Republiscam party. He might do just fine in Florida.

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founding

He won reelection on Nov. 5. He’ll be back in the house after New Year.

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Even if Gaetz goes back on his word and tries to return to the House he would then face the release of the ethics report and still have a huge problem. I think it's more likely he runs for governor since DeSatan is term limited now.

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Just in time to stir up still more chaos, nice!

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founding

His constituents are just like him.

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Might get Rubio's Senate seat!!!

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Maybe not. He was elected to another term.

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The only hope is that he won't want this investigation to continue and kick into higher gear. It appears more has come out. Apparently the reason he withdrew is the press called him for comment on a whole new claim to add to the others. He goes back in, the investigation livens up again. It's good to finally see someone as nauseating as Gaetz has resistance. There were four senators who said they would not be swayed to vote for him and 30 that didn't want to but probably would have.

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Well he's out of this session. The new House will be seated on January 3 and, since he was reelected, he can still resume his seat then.

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When Gaetz withdrew from the House he pledged not to resume his seat in the next Congress.

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My guess is Trump will find him a nice sinecure behind the scenes promoting further corruption and chaos.

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founding

:And you believe him?

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Why not, Richard Knabel? In fact, he said he was thinking of returning to school. Guess he's thinking of where he can find the most young women in one place.

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I heard he was going to a evangelical seminary.

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founding

Is there a nunnery anywhere close by it?

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What you're hearing from here is stunned silence. In our new everyday Onion reality that could equally be the gods' truth or a funny joke.

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So he's going back to Jr. High School?

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Oy, arne—another yech.

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Sure, can't we rely on Maga republicans since they received an overwhelming mandate from the American people to enact their regressive agenda?

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founding

Yes, but he was reelected for the next Congress, and he’ll be sworn in right after New Year. We’re not rid of him yet.

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Then we should get that report released!

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Sadly, Gaetz was reelected on Nov 5. He'll be back in January

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He resigned his seat.

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founding

There's a detail that needs to be cleared before we cheer. He resigned from his current position but he also won his reelection so there's some question about that. There's always a wrinkle these days.

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founding

Something about this seems like it’s too good to be true. I hate being so skeptical, but my trust level in these people is at a -10. What crackpot is next?

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Sometimes a nominee is thrown out there knowing full well they are not confirmable with the purpose being to get someone else nominated and confirmed. This is often done in business. An action officer will deliberately put a mediocre course of action early in a presentation and then present 2 or 3 more which are better leading to the one the action officer wants the CEO to approve. By whacking the first 3, the CEO is now eager to approve a course of action so business can move forward.

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How Mikey J got to be Speaker

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This seems most plausible to me. Compare: the manipulative "imaginary concession" sales technique described in R. Cialdini's book, "Influence". After - with much hubbub - the supremely odious "first choice"/Gaetz is rejected, everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

"SEE? The System *works*!"

Then DT choses another less unsavoury, but likely still objectively dangerous operative who knows what is expected of him, who sails through confirmation hearing.

Possibly DT is doing the same with several of his "first choices" - especially the risible Oz, and RFKjr - although why stop *there*?

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Maybe Musk bought out his contract?

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His dad is rich. Surprised?

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He has to be because his son is an asshole.

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I do hope Tulsi Gabbard has to withdraw from her potential appointment....

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She is almost, I use that sparingly, worse than Matt. She can continue the damage Trump started with the stolen documents.

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"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

Translation: "Too many people have seen the ethics and police reports. At least if I bow out I can continue to deny, deny, deny. <Credit: Fernando Llamas.>

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founding

QUICK, NOW!!!!!! Hegseth, Gabbard, RFK,Noem, Oz, Duffy, Huckabee et al

All of these stooges must be dealt with and sent packing. C'mon Dems, you can do it.

Let the rational world tell Maga to go fuck itself

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Trump always hires the best! The best at what isn't exactly clear however.

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founding

Excellent moniker!

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Thanks. I’m pretty proud of it.

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Kiss kiss kiss kiss. "Harder, slave!"

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With only 47 Democrat Senators, they are going to need some aisle crossing from select GOP members in order to cause a few others to withdraw their nomination. This is why both parties need to elect aisle crossers who will work together for "We the People" so extremists in both parties will not be in Cabinet positions.

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Trump might choose Aileen Cannon to act as a place holder until the Supreme Court seat that I suspect she covets is available.

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Place holder? I'm not sure what you mean? Place holder in the seat Gaetz vacated? She's a judge.

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I suspect that they knew this all along. He's the "sacrifice" so the others get waved in.....

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Things will get worse before they get worse.

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"Today I am announcing my withdrawal from consideration in order to spend more time with other people's children." –Matt Gaetz

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Hilarious, in its dark way.

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🤮🤮😂

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Distraction my ass - he wouldn’t have gotten confirmed

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I actually agree. Republicans have no morals. Even Susan Collins would have voted for him even though she was *SHOCKED* as the nomination.

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Collins pretending to be "shocked" or "concerned" is her modus operandi.

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She’s a coward/hypocrite just like all Republicans are.

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No matter what she says, votes w/ the party every time.

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Maybe the good folks of Maine will send her packing next opportunity -- and maybe we badgers can kick out the odious Ron Johnson, too.

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At least he is honestly odious, unlike Collins who appeases voters with tease shows.

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She can wring her hands and furrow her brow worthy of an Oscar.

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I think Trump trolled Gaetz with this, knowing he wouldn't get confirmed, and rendering the House ethics report "moot" the moment Gaetz resigned from his seat. Now Gaetz has no job. Nice scoop, btw, I heard it here first, at the Lucian Truscott newsletter.

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He has a job on January 3 as a congressman, if he wants it.

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He resigned. I don’t think he can “unresign.”

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The next nominee will be even worse but will probably be confirmed out of fear of Trump's retribution if the confirmation doesn't happen.

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The next nominee could be Gaetz. He was reelected for the next term and has only resigned from the current one.

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Unlikely he'll be re-nominated. I don't know what his status will be in terms of the next Congress. Does anyone know the rules on whether he will still be a House member, given that he was re-elected?

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Well, he resigned so I think that must be a resignation in full. He can go back to Floridumb and live on all his Dad's money and rape all the young women he wants. I also suspect that he is bi so there is a lot of work to be done.

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Hope you're right - I shudder at the thought of him returning to the House. Another reason to loathe Merrick Garland - the refusal to prosecute the pedophile scumbag.

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Ummm, I'd rather see him in prison than raping "all the young women he wants".

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Most people with a paper trail of cash payments for sex with underage girls are indicted and tried, not nominated to become AG for the USA. The arrogance of these nominations, which are based on TV appearance, by which I mean the shameless ability to lie into a camera.

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Paying a teenage girl for sex? So sad that all this wokeness kept such a talented and qualified guy from serving our country.

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wowsa. Does the fact that he resigned from Congress affect his serving in the new term? Probably not. Now to see who gets the nod. Kash Patel anyone?

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If he goes back to Congress he could still have to face that ethics committee. I know the Republicans are trying to shield him but they have a very narrow margin. It's very risky for him. What an idiot.

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That's what I was thinking. This entire dog and pony show did nothing to keep the wolves at bay. I think this may have just been another of Trump's poorly thought out, impulsive acts.

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will the ethics committee still have the same personnel in the new Congress? I don’t see how he can “go back” to Congress for THIS term. Saying what? “Kings X, I didn’t really mean to resign?”

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He resigned from this term. I doubt he can go back, but he can definitely return on Jan 3 for the next term. He won't be any better off than he was before.

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Good question. I don't know but I do think that whatever happens, he's in a pickle.

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One can't un-resign from Congress.

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I didn’t really think so. Best bet if the new Congress does decide to release it is that Donnybrook will declare an emergency and issue an executive order to stop it. 🙄

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Great news, Lucian, but you put a bit of a damper on it with the Aileen Cannon remark. Perish the thought that she would ever rise above her current position. That said, you're probably right. Her reward for kissing Drumpf's butt. Yet another unqualified Repugnant hack.

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