I don't know enough about the Matt Gaetz problem to comment on his guilt or innocence (he's been accused of sexual indiscretions, at least one act of which involved a minor), but when he withdrew his candidacy for Attorney General by saying his candidacy had become a "distraction," I'm pretty sure I was hearing guilt-language. Conservatives are saying that Gaetz still has a path forward in the Trump presidency, but as we all know, once you've got that scarlet letter, your brand is forever ruined (unless, as was the case with Brett Kavanaugh, it turns out your accuser is a publicity-craving liar who can't recall major specifics when grilled).
Enter Pam Bondi, the new nominee for AG. With Karoline Leavitt tapped for press secretary, Trump appears to be immuring himself behind a wall of young blondes. I saw the humor in this and left the following comment at Instapundit, couched in mythological terms:
Pam Bondi... Karoline Leavitt... Trump is surrounding himself with Valkyries. I hope this means Ragnarok is coming. And with Hindu folks like Tulsi and Vivek, the Valkyrie front line is backed by formidable kșatriyas. I really do hope this gets apocalyptic.
Back to Gaetz. Significantly, CNN says this:
The Justice Department closed its investigation of Gaetz last year after prosecutors recommended that no criminal charges be brought against him. The House Ethics Committee revived its investigation of the Florida lawmaker once DOJ concluded its case and is facing mounting pressure to release its final report.
Allegations against Gaetz also have surfaced as part of a civil dispute in federal court in Florida. The deposition from the woman who was 17 at the time remains under seal, but her allegations were described during another deposition that is public record. At one point, attorneys recounted that she had testified having sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table at the house party while the homeowner watched.
An attorney for the woman who was a minor at the time of the sexual encounters has called for the ethics report to be released “immediately,” noting that his client was a high school student at the time and saying there were witnesses.
Joel Leppard, an attorney who represents two other women who were witnesses in the House Ethics Committee probe, said one of his clients testified that she witnessed Gaetz having sex with a minor. Leppard said his client told the committee she did not believe Gaetz knew at the time that her friend was underage.
So is Gaetz as guilty as sin, or is this another stupid attempt at a Christine Blasey Ford?
Either way, good luck to Pam.
UPDATE: I can see one angle of attack against her: a decade ago, she was on record as being "against lesbian divorce," as this article puts it. Much ado about nothing? Has Bondi perhaps changed her stance? Is the article deliberately misinterpreting her stance? I'm sure we'll all find out soon enough.
UPDATE 2: DeVory defends Gaetz in this video from before Gaetz's withdrawal.
