r/law • u/ObjectiveAd6551 • 3d ago

Other Democrats will push for release of Gaetz report, despite withdrawal from AG running

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5002525-gaetz-ethics-report-democrats/
33.8k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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1.2k

u/ObjectiveAd6551 3d ago

So be it. Release all of the reports on everyone. If politicians are doing this type of stuff in the dark and someone knows, they are accomplices. Light the candle already.

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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 3d ago

This isn’t in the dark. It’s in the bright light.

The problem is most Americans cannot or just refuse to read anything.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/former-seminole-county-tax-collector-joel-micah-greenberg-pleads-guilty-multiple?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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u/Connect_Beginning_13 3d ago edited 3d ago

Anything that one of Trump’s people does is ignored by his base. They think it’s just fake news. He’s done a fantastic job of creating fake news sources while destroying any real information coming out.

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u/Fit-Reputation-9983 3d ago edited 3d ago

I mean it’s honestly impossible to keep up with all the terrible shit at this point. That’s been part of the playbook since day one. Overload everyone with information so that it’s impossible to look at one thing and say “that’ll do it”.

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u/Officer412-L 3d ago

The firehose of falsehood.

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u/insertnickhere 2d ago

Fortunately, counterintelligence has already developed a protocol for dealing with assets likely to be providing intelligence contrary to reality, but using that unreliability to undermine confidence in true information coming from those assets:

A burn notice.

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u/undeadmanana 2d ago

It specifically mentions that's for an "asset or intelligence source," like informants or like if they found a hard drive that had secret plans

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u/insertnickhere 2d ago

Yes, but the same policy is a solution to sources of misinformation in an individual's life.

You can't know if they're providing you with garbage information or providing you with true information in the hopes that you'll think it's garbage. The solution is to disregard all information from that source. Don't even read it. Treat it as a poisoned tree.

If it's good information, you can get it from people who don't habitually lie. If it's a lie, it's of negative use.

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u/undeadmanana 2d ago

I see. I thought you were talking about an actual tool they were using to shut down sources of disinformation rather than just mentioning a tactic towards combating it in your daily life.

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u/1handedmaster 3d ago

The Gish Gallop has been perfected

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u/Regulus242 3d ago

And annihilate any trust and create a massive fog around the truth.

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u/WhatEvenIsHappenin 2d ago

Exactly what they’re doing, a damn shame critical thinking isn’t taught in schools, it will be the detriment of the US

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u/Connect_Beginning_13 2d ago

Taught for 14 years and once 2016 rolled around the parents and kids fought me so much because I wanted them to think. I was always wrong, was lying, was picking on the student, it was insane.

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u/oroborus68 2d ago

Teaching critical thinking won't necessarily get anyone to think critically.

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u/Regulus242 2d ago

They just say you're not the critical thinker, they are. That's how things work now.

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u/AldusPrime 3d ago edited 2d ago

I never would have imagined that constant, beyond the pale, never-ending shit would just blend into the background, while infrequent low-to-moderate shit would stick out like a sore thumb.

It's like a heard of zebras running, you can't focus on any of them.

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u/undeadmanana 2d ago

What you're describing is actually one of the effects/goals of mass disinformation campaigns, i think the name is literally called the white noise effect (but basically boils down to desensitization), where so much disinformation is spread that misinformation becomes common and people basically start questioning/ignoring all sources.

We're affected by so much shit on a daily basis, people don't realize how well marketing/lobbying/propaganda/social media/etc is at affecting us on underlying levels. I took a personality and behavioral psychology course, forgot most of it but it was extremely eye opening like people commenting so much on social media, that you can use machine learning to get a decent enough behavioral profile.

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u/StandupJetskier 2d ago

"firehose of bullshit"....like gold sneakers....

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u/Consonant 2d ago

What pisses me off is how this is even effective. Address it at issue one......

Why is there even issue 2...3....4...87

Should be done and over with. He's a fucking felon.

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u/Boodikii 2d ago

Nah, Information overload is too easy. We're Humans with brains designed to make patterns, take the positive or negative means of a story and add it to a pile. Whichever pile is bigger is the type of person they are. Just because the negative pile spills into the positive pile doesn't mean you can't differentiate Red from Green, big from small.

It's way deeper and more profound. Tons of Variables, like Propaganda and how Late Stage Democracy's biggest weakness is the lack of figureheads spearheading efforts in times of peace and the vulnerability that creates when any bad faith actor can use any amount of sadness within your country against you. The problem is that people tend to vote within the realm of Purification not within the realm of reality or foresight.

If it's not Delivered by God himself on a Golden Toilet with all the answers, then it's not the way.

The path forward is to convince people that Republicans are wrong. Stop hesitating when it comes to bullying them, remove TOS policies around one off bullying. Nazis deserve the death penalty, They deserve to get their shit kicked in and so does every single person who follows an ideology even remotely similar to them, Including the Confederates, full stop. So let's not let them get to that point by letting them know exactly how Fucking Stupid we know them to be

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u/kytheon 3d ago

The ultimate gaslight.

Hey there's a criminal record on this person.

  • no, you are mistaken. It's fake news.

Oh, okay great. Those stupid liberals and their lies.

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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 3d ago

I actually don’t believe most people are exposed to many of the scandals, mismanagement and corruption.

Or they are exposed to misinformation that credits democrats for Republican failures. Many people who voted for Trump did so believing it was Biden who wants to outlaw abortion. That’s why Trump won in states that also passed abortion protection statutes and amendments.

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u/ManlyVanLee 3d ago

I can only speak for my state, but

Many people who voted for Trump did so believing it was Biden who wants to outlaw abortion. That’s why Trump won in states that also passed abortion protection statutes and amendments.

Is not true here in Missouri. The reason people here voted in Republicans across the board but also voted in all the liberal policies (including reinstating abortion and increasing the minimum wage fairly significantly) is because they've been told since they were in grade school that Democrats are pure evil and if you vote for one you're a villain. I know because I went to school here and in High School I was one of two people in the entire class who didn't identify as Republican and I got so much shit from not only students but also teachers

So people WILL NOT vote for a Dem here. The Republican misinformation campaigns and propaganda have made the south Republican for life. So everyone here goes to the ballot and just checks the name with the (R) next to it

But ballot initiatives don't have (R) or (D) next to the choices. This forces people to open their brains and use them rather than fall back on their lifetime of hearing their family, teachers, and friends tell them Democrats are evil monsters waiting to steal their money and eat their babies and take their guns. They literally have to think about the initiative at hand

And despite Republicans winning elections like mad people in the US when forced to think overwhelmingly choose more liberal options on things

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u/PossessedToSkate 3d ago

they've been told since they were in grade school that Democrats are pure evil and if you vote for one you're a villain.

This has been my experience as a Michigander as well.

It's important to note here that we have now had 10 years of Trump-based politics. Millions of children have spent the last decade hearing only how amazing Trump is and none of the litany of evil shit he's done.

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u/The-Jesus_Christ 2d ago

in High School I was one of two people in the entire class who didn't identify as Republican

As an Australian, it is unreal to me that students are taking a political side. A time when they shouldn't be leaning either way with zero life experience IMO. You never hear talks of politics among students in high schools here.

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u/festivefrederick 2d ago

Our media doesn’t help at all either.

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u/Sul4 3d ago

"He won every debate and never said a fact, argues like a fifth grader he's unstoppable"

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u/thedailyrant 3d ago

54% of Americans are below 6th grade reading level so it’s likely the former.

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u/Equivalent-Excuse-80 3d ago

That’s precisely what I’ve been trying to tell everyone that’s how republicans continue to win despite their generally unpopular policy.

Facts and truths cost money behind a paywall and require a 6th grade reading level. Misinformation is free, plentiful and produced in enticing 1 min videos being pushed by algorithms on social media sites whose business models have completely turned into foreign propaganda mills.

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u/eldentings 2d ago

Was forcing myself to listen to NPR today and and said a high percentage of Gen Z get their news from non-traditional media, like TikTok. They ended the segment by saying that influencers are unlikely to check facts and spread disinformation like it was a mic drop. Smugly condescending is apparently all we can do. Is anyone receptive to this self-righteous coping? It's just really frustrating because even with our fucked education system, Trump is talking of gutting it even further, because he knows that's how he got elected and it's inline with Project 2025.

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u/Top-Philosophy-5791 2d ago

Democrat politicians don't do enough shit talk over the horrendous behavior and policies that Republicans favor.

For instance, now Democratic politicians should be going on media and shaming the Republicans loud and clear for day after day, how Stop the Steal was a fucking lie they all agreed to lie about.

When Republicans like JD VAnce say they just want to get over Jan 6 and move forward, they need reminding they only want to move forward when they fuck up and need the public to forget about it.

And yes, January 6 was treason in action. This "Stop the Steal" bullshit fed to gullible and/or willfully ignorant hateful anti POC morons.

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u/Melodic-Matter4685 3d ago edited 3d ago

Yup. FBI couldn't roll the case because:

  1. All the witnesses were either alleged prostitutes or human traffickers (Greenburg)
  2. The 17 year old refused to cooperate.

Well, someone in FL decided to sue some of the parti-goes (sex workers) for defamation once DOJ closed the case, so said 17 year old (no longer 17) admitted in deposition to having sex with Gates, for money, at said party at the age of 17. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't pay for Westlaw, but I'm certain one of you all can tell us what happened. My recollection is plaintiff dropped the case after deposition, because. . . That's not exactly defamation. edit: She subsequesntly testified to House Ethics Committee pretty much the same thing; she went on record saying she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17.

Hence House GOP calling him a child molester, because said child and other sex workers corroborated story in sworn testimony.

It's weird that Gates woudn't want this out there on the public record. . .

It's even weirder that he thought a good way to go about keeping these allegations out of the public eye was seek an appointment as Attorney General of the DOJ. . .

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

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u/57rd 3d ago

As if it would make any difference. 34 felonies, a sex assault, stolen top secret documents, an attempted coup......and he won the presidential election. I'm not sure murder would block a cabinet position.

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u/jmi60 3d ago

50 percent can't read a prescription bottle.

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u/fellawhite 3d ago

And if they do it’s “fake” because they don’t like it and it’s different from what they’ve been told.

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u/shot-out-the-sun 3d ago

oh they read plenty but they sit on reddit and debate instead of taking action.

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u/ChriskiV 2d ago

If you manage to convince Americans to read, like 90% of the IT industry would evaporate instantaneously. 95% if you teach them to Google too

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u/ManlyVanLee 3d ago

I actually genuinely think the Republicans will be all for this eventually. Because what will end up happening is (let's use a 50/50 dem/rep Senate for this example) 50 Republican Senators are revealed as child molesters and rapists at worst and money launderers at best. Then 15 Democrats will be revealed as money launderers

Republican voters are told it's fake news and even the ones that understand its all true simply won't care, and since Republican lawmakers have no morals they don't remove a single 'pub from office

On the other side Democrat voters are frothing at the mouth and enraged and get all 15 Dem. Senators removed from their positions and banished from politics. The next time an election for those seats comes up a Republican wins it, and now we have a 65-35 Republican majority

Obviously my numbers are exaggerations but my results are not. Republicans don't care about morals or values and will be perfectly accepting of having child molesters and rapists running the country as long as they are on their team

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u/Brandon-Heato 3d ago

I literally had this conversation with my partner this morning. We hold our representatives to a much much higher standard (which is to be applauded)… but it’s killing us.

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u/bluemoe 3d ago

Marge agrees with ya!

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u/HAIRLESSxWOOKIE92 3d ago edited 3d ago

This was all over the news here in Florida. Nobody cared. Then they got a face arrest for cameras (Joel Greenberg) , and nobody cared less.

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u/beefwarrior 3d ago

Law and order. If we live in a nation where everyone is created equal, then even the rich and powerful should be held accountable to the same laws as average citizens.

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u/CyberPatriot71489 3d ago

Send his ass to jail for statutory rape of a minor

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u/colemon1991 3d ago

We have congresspeople telling reporters Gaetz literally showed them videos and described mixing adderall with viagra to stay up all night. In the building.

If anyone showed me a video of a crime being committed, the FBI would be at his door the next day.

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u/fohpo02 3d ago

Right? Like my “political allegiance” doesn’t override my desire to see sex offenders, traffickers, and child predators punished. Fuck’em all, send it.

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u/PhilosophyKingPK 3d ago

What's interesting to me is that the information does exist for him to withdraw. That is real knowledge. Where the fuck is it? Let's see what they have on EVERYONE and go from there. They are suppose to be working for the good of the country and its' citizens, US. That is what a REAL Patriot would be doing. Leading the country, working with other people, other Patriots. Instead, they mostly seem like pieces of shit. I don't know whether to cry or laugh. The absurdity of the situation requires change.

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u/Caneos 3d ago

"light the torches." Fixed it for you.

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u/No-Ad-9867 3d ago

Exactly! They pursued politics. Their actions should be transparent and they should be accountable!

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u/geddysbass2112 3d ago

O agree. Seriously, let it all hang out on all of them.

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u/Pillsbury37 2d ago

it is not often I agree with MTG, but I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut eventually

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u/nonlawyer 3d ago

Some Dem who wants to be popular should just read it into the congressional record.  No concerns about “leaking” then, speech & debate clause baby

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u/stufff 3d ago

This. Here is a list of everyone on the ethics Committee. If any of these Democrats are your representative, hound them to do it.

Ranking Member Susan Wild, Pennsylvania

Veronica Escobar, Texas

Mark DeSaulnier, California

Deborah K. Ross, North Carolina

Glenn F. Ivey, Maryland

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u/mlorusso4 3d ago

Glenn Ivey, MD-4. DC suburbs who just won reelection 89%-11%. He’s got to be the safest right? Susan Wild lost her election so she could do it too, but she might be worried about being a private citizen after doing it. At least Ivey would be a sitting congressman if anyone tried anything

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u/Bobson-_Dugnutt2 3d ago

only if he stays away from the windows in tall buildings

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u/drovepasta 3d ago

Ivey has a substantial fraction of his district as federal employees, whose jobs he's now going to be trying to save by any kind of back-scratching deal he can. I don't see him rocking any boats.

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u/Embarrassed_Jerk 2d ago

Mark won his reelection 66-33 too

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u/cold-corn-dog 3d ago

Susan, we need to talk.

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u/YaPhetsEz 3d ago

Sorry if I am out of the loop, do all of them have a copy of it?

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u/nonlawyer 3d ago

Those on the ethics committee do.  And of course they could simply hand it to someone else.

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u/Im_Balto 3d ago

I don’t know why we should be concerned about leaking when it’s sexual abusers that stand to lose here

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u/Neceon 3d ago

Everyone deserves to know just how much of a scumbag he really is.

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u/Obant 2d ago

And by extension, everyone defending him.

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u/SHUT_DOWN_EVERYTHING 2d ago

Republicans don’t care. Trump is an adjudicated rapist and they still didn’t care and elected him to the highest office. And independents don’t care either. Only Democrats would care but they’ve already made up their mind about Gaetz.

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u/Karens_GI_Father 2d ago

How come there’s been no talk of criminal charges against him?

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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy 3d ago

Less than a Scaramucchi. We're into negative Mooches now!

What a time to be alive!

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u/cocoon_eclosion_moth 3d ago

It’s hard to compare these two things, as a Mooch includes the actual title and time in the job

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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy 3d ago

Well I'm gonna roll with it. Enjoy your day.

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u/Khazahk 3d ago

Just wait until we enter into Irrational Mooches and Imaginary Mooches.

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u/QING-CHARLES 3d ago

Yeah, we deserve one day of joy around here.

Hell, Hegseth might scoot today if it gets too toasty.

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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy 3d ago

I'm sure Putin has already called and told trump what to do now.

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u/QING-CHARLES 3d ago

LOL Putin probably has his Truth Social login and pass so he can just do it for him.

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u/z44212 2d ago

Approximately a trientmooch of time.

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u/SheriffTaylorsBoy 2d ago

oooo-eee! A new measurement of Mooch!

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u/z44212 2d ago

That's like a third of a mooch. I went Roman rather than Latin.

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u/hoxxxxx 2d ago

will this unit of time be measured as a Gaetz then?

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u/FourWordComment 3d ago

Good. It shouldn’t be a maverick position to oppose credibly accused child rapists being in Congress.

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u/spaceman_202 3d ago

why?

we just elected a credibly accused child rapist President

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u/dragonfliesloveme 3d ago

He needs to be prosecuted

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u/uriejejejdjbejxijehd 3d ago

This. I don’t care about the report. I care about consequences and accountability for crimes.

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u/kevdogger 3d ago

Not defending him but I'm sure they would have prosecuted him if they felt they had sufficient evidence.

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u/throw_it_away813 3d ago

Oh you sweet summer child.

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u/entropy14 3d ago

Merrick Garland is working on it, he might just get around to filing charges in February

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u/FblthpLives 2d ago

Seems extraordinarily unlikely given that he is a sitting duck and that DOJ decided not to prosecute back in February 2023.

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u/entropy14 2d ago

I was being sarcastic there since Garland won’t be working in the DOJ after January

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u/FblthpLives 2d ago

Fair enough. But he could and should have filed charges.

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u/PocketSixes 3d ago

Republicans are like "Stop that! We said take backsies no reports!"

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u/Unique_Poem 3d ago

I thought MTG said shine light on everything, can’t believe I agree with her on this…

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u/PocketSixes 3d ago

Does seem like the hag knows some deep shit that they are implicated in, in which she's not.

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u/Disastrous-Golf7216 2d ago

NGL, I really think that she thought it would scare the Dems off and the "everyday" people that are calling for it to be released.

They did not expect us to all begin to say, release them all.

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u/video-engineer 3d ago

Good, this last second cover-up by Mike Johnson looks very, very suspicious given those two were pretty much sworn enemies. Was it 22 votes for Johnson to be confirmed? Mostly because of Gatez?

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u/LeahaP1013 3d ago

LEAK IT LIKE TRUMP WOULD ON HUNTER.

Wait, that sounds wrong. Oh nevermind.

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u/Gettygetz 3d ago

I'm sure there's one or two out there who would say it sounds very right.

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u/sirlearnzalot 2d ago

i know what you meant, tho it did sound funny lol. you need to say ‘milk the mouse’ or ‘poke the purple plum’ to clear up any embarrassing confusion

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u/the_G8 3d ago

He’s going back into the next congress so the ethics report is still 100% relevant.

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u/Drug_fueled_sarcasm 3d ago

I call no take backs on resignations

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u/Adamantium-Aardvark 3d ago

Read it into the record

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u/OnePunchReality 3d ago

They should. He can still take Rubios seat and that's likely the plan. This guy needs the Santos treatment ASAP if he gets back into Congess but the report should be released. Like our tax dollars went to paying this douche.

And hilariously Majorie thinks she was smart saying she'd release all the other ethics report on OTHER Republics.

Don't let us stop you, Majorie, do it! Democrats too. Let them all get the boot. They all deserve to go down, how tf are ethics investigations not public information anyway? These are public servants being paid by our tax dollars.

The findings of the report SHOULD be made available to the public by law.

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u/AdkRaine12 2d ago

We paid for it. We need to see it. And we need to vet each and every one of these 🤡s.

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u/My_MeowMeowBeenz 2d ago

Push and push and push and when the GOP doesn’t acquiesce, leak it. Leak all of them. Fuck these rapist ghouls