By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: November 14, 2024 ~

Rep Matt Gaetz (Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr)

Live streaming to you from various production sites in the nation’s capitol is Donald Trump’s new reality TV show, “Remaking U.S. Government in My Image.”

What the cast of the show lacks in serious credentials to run a government for the largest industrialized nation with 5,000 nuclear warheads is being offset by attractive faces and savvy scriptwriters determined to bring daily gasps from the viewing audience.

A collective gasp came yesterday afternoon as president-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of House Rep Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve in the highest law enforcement position in the nation: Attorney General of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

Being under an ongoing probe for sex with an underage girl and illicit drug use is apparently not a barrier to sitting at the helm of the U.S. Department of Justice in Donald Trump’s plans for “reforming” the U.S. government.

In June, the U.S. House Committee on Ethics released a statement as follows regarding its ongoing investigation of Gaetz:

“On April 9, 2021, the Committee announced it had initiated a review into allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct. The Committee deferred its consideration of the matter in response to a request from the Department of Justice (DOJ). In May 2023, the Committee reauthorized its investigation after DOJ withdrew its deferral request.”

Reporting by NBC News indicated that DOJ prosecutors were investigating if Gaetz had sex-trafficked a minor; if he had violated the law prohibiting transporting “any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose” across states lines; and if he obstructed justice. Inexplicably, the DOJ dropped its investigation into Gaetz in February of 2023 without bringing charges against Gaetz. Three months later, the House Committee on Ethics resumed its investigation of Gaetz.

According to multiple media reports yesterday, the House Committee on Ethics was planning to vote to release a damning report on Gaetz as soon as this Friday. Instead, Gaetz resigned from his House seat yesterday after Trump nominated him for Attorney General. This brought about much media speculation as to whether the House Committee on Ethics has lost jurisdiction to release its report.

There is, however, an active federal lawsuit that may shine critical disinfecting sunshine on the matter. In May of this year, the watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Washington, D.C. to obtain records the DOJ had denied CREW under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. CREW explained the reasons for the lawsuit as follows:

“CREW is suing the Department of Justice for records related to the now-closed criminal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, including the DOJ’s decision not to charge Gaetz despite reports suggesting an abundance of evidence that he likely violated sex-trafficking laws, and the conviction of his associate on similar charges. CREW also challenges the legality of the Department of Justice’s policy of categorically denying FOIA requests for records relating to investigations of public officials.

“The lawsuit follows the DOJ’s refusal to release records relating to their investigation of Rep. Gaetz in response to CREW requests for information, as well as a long history of the agency issuing blanket denials of requests for records relating to investigations of public officials, despite a federal appeals court ruling that clearly prohibits such denials. The public deserves to know whether the decision not to prosecute Gaetz was motivated by political considerations or anything other than the sufficiency of evidence against him, and should not be forced to sue for records every time they seek transparency on investigations of public officials.

“The DOJ began its investigation into Gaetz in 2020, focusing on allegations of obstruction of justice and violations of federal sex trafficking laws. Gaetz’s associate Joel Greenberg pled guilty to underage sex trafficking and reportedly provided potentially incriminating information about Gaetz’s involvement to investigators. Gaetz also reportedly asked then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for a preemptive pardon from Trump. In February 2023, the DOJ informed Gaetz that the department would not bring charges against him.

“It is of public interest to understand why a member of Congress was not charged with any crime despite public reporting that suggested that potential crimes had been committed. Transparency around high-profile investigations, including any failures to properly investigate Gaetz, is both required by law and urgently needed.”

Read the initial complaint filed by CREW at this link. According to the court docket in the case, the Department of Justice has filed a motion to dismiss the action, a typical ploy to drag out a politically sensitive court case, and CREW has filed an opposition motion to the dismissal request.

If CREW should prevail in its court battle, it could open a hornet’s nest of scandals involving other political figures. CNN reported in April 2021 that political bribes were under investigation:

“As part of the ongoing probe, investigators are scrutinizing Gaetz’s connections to several associates in Florida who may have benefited politically in return for providing the congressman favors including escorts, travel, and campaign donations, according to the sources familiar with the investigation.

“One event in focus is a trip that Gaetz took to the Bahamas with friends and young women, CNN has reported. Investigators are seeking to determine whether Gaetz was provided travel and women in exchange for political favors as part of their broader probe, the sources said.”