Support Our Journalism

Smart. Sharp. Funny. Fearless

Politics National News World Economy Lifestyle Store

Tag: sexual misconduct

Damning Text Messages Detonated The Gaetz Ethics Bombshell

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been the subject of two separate investigations related to alleged sexual misconduct: an actual criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and a probe by the House Ethics Committee.

The DOJ investigation was concluded, and Gaetz — who denied the allegations against him — was never charged with anything. But the House Ethics report was made public on Monday, December 23, and the allegations include paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl.

In an article published on Christmas Eve 2024, USA Today reporter Josh Meyer describes the role that text messages play in the report's "bombshell accusations."

Meyer explains, "Some of the (Ethics) Committee's damning allegations come from the former congressman's own words and actions, according to details within the long-awaited report made public Monday. Others comprise text messages, financial records, photos and interviews of people closest to him, the Committee report said, including a former friend who's now in prison and an ex-girlfriend who both used a 'sugar dating' site linking older men with younger women."

After the House Ethics report was released, many of Gaetz's critics — including Democrats and Never Trump conservatives — were also highly critical of President-elect Donald Trump for picking Gaetz for U.S. attorney general.

Gaetz, however, withdrew from consideration, and Trump has picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for that position.

The House Ethics report alleges, "The record overwhelmingly suggests that Representative Gaetz had sex with multiple women at (a) party, including the then-17-year-old, for which they were paid."

Meyer notes, "Much of that evidence came from text messages by Gaetz and his associates, according to the report. In one text exchange obtained by the (Ethics) Committee, Gaetz balked at a woman's request for money after he accused her of 'ditching' him on a night when she was feeling tired, claiming she only gave him a 'drive by,' the report said. The woman asserted to Gaetz that she was being 'treated differently' than other women he was paying for sex, the report added."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Male Aide Accuses CPAC Chief Schlapp Of Unwanted Sexual 'Groping'

More details have emerged in the sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Schlapp, the ultra-conservative longtime Republican operative and lobbyist, chair of the American Conservative Union, the organization that produces the highly-influential Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and a Trump ally whose wife worked for for the ex-president.

A mid-level aide to the Herschel Walker campaign is accusing Schlapp of groping and fondling his genitals after taking him to two bars as he chauffeured him around Atlanta.The Daily Beast was the first to report the allegations.

Last October, Schlapp allegedly invited the staffer “to meet for drinks that night at the Capital Grille restaurant in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, the staffer said,” according to NBC News. “He believed the extra face-to-face time could help him solidify a professional connection with one of the party’s most influential figures.”

“Schlapp, who drank Tito’s vodka during the night, began ‘intruding into my personal space’ at the second bar, the staffer said. At one point, Schlapp bumped into the staffer’s gun while their legs touched, the staffer said, prompting Schlapp to ask what he was carrying.”

“‘Sig Sauer,’ the aide said, surprised to find that Schlapp seemed unfamiliar with the name of the gun given CPAC’s emphasis on Second Amendment rights.”

In audio recorded by the staffer that NBC posted in its report, the aide says Schlapp “put his hands on me in a sustained and unsolicited and unwanted manner.”

The aide alleges at one point Schlapp asked him, “Are you uncomfortable looking at me?”

That made “the aide even more uncomfortable than he already was, he said. In short order, he told Schlapp that they had an early morning and it was best to call it a night.”

In the car, “Schlapp began fondling his leg, he said. That progressed, the staffer said, as the two men made their way toward the Hilton Garden Inn at the Atlanta airport, a ride of about 15 minutes with little traffic.”

Schlapp “‘literally had his hands on me,’ the staffer said in a video he recorded early in the morning of October 20, just a couple of hours after the alleged incident. ‘Matt Schlapp of the CPAC grabbed my junk and pummeled it at length.’ The staffer did not post the video publicly but shared it with NBC News.”

“To my shame, I did not say ‘no’ or ‘stop,'” the staffer also said.

“God knows it was not a wanted advance.”

The aide says had Schlapp just made a “polite pass” he would never had said anything.

“‘If he had made a polite pass at me and left it that,’ the staffer said, ‘only me, Matt and God would know about that.'”

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Rep. Cawthorn Deflects Sexual Misconduct Allegations As 'Democrat Attacks'

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) claims that recent reporting on sexual harassment and misconduct allegations against are really about the media and Democrats wanting to deflect from sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Buzzfeed Newsrecently reported interviews with more than two dozen witnesses who "described or corroborated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus, in Cawthorn's car, and at his house near campus" when Cawthorn was a student at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. Cawthorn has denied the allegations against him.

Appearing on the conservative Newsmax TV, Cawthorn replied "absolutely" when host Chris Salcedo asked if the story has surfaced to try to "give cover" to Cuomo, a Democrat.

"It just makes so much sense that they're going to start attacking a Republican," Cawthorn said, alleging that the story appeared only because "they're unable to defend their own governor in New York."

Cawthorn said Democrats are also promoting the story because "they're unable to defend any of their policy positions," and "they're just going to come spewing attack ads and starting to lie about other Republicans."

Contrary to Cawthorn's claims, however, Democratic leaders have not swept the allegations against Cuomo under the rug. The White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with other high-profile Democrats, have called for an independent investigation into the allegations. Pelosi said the claims against Cuomo are "serious and credible."

From the Mar. 2 edition of Newsmax TV's "The Chris Salcedo Show":

CHRIS SALCEDO, Newsmax: Do you see that the political Democrat-socialist operatives at places like CNN and MSNBC and others are trying to use this old story to try to give cover to Governor "COVID" Cuomo?
MADISON CAWTHORN: Oh, absolutely, once we just had the nursing home scandal that was going on inside of New York but now we have other allegations of his own, which are coming out.
And you know what? I generally believe that everyone's innocent until proven guilty but it just makes so much sense that they're going to start attacking a Republican because one, they're unable to defend their own governor in New York, kind of what they said should be a model governor for everyone across the country, and also they're unable to defend any of their policy positions.
And so therefore, they're just going to come spewing attack ads and starting to lie about other Republicans, which is the normal Democratic playbook. Because all they can do is appeal to emotion because their policy agenda has no real sense.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.

Shop our Store

Headlines

Editor's Blog

Corona Virus

World

        About The National Memo
    
The National Memo is a political newsletter and website that combines the spirit of investigative journalism with new technology and ideas. We cover campaigns, elections, the White House, Congress, and the world with a fresh outlook. Our own journalism — as well as our selections of the smartest stories available every day — reflects a clear and strong perspective, without the kind of propaganda, ultra-partisanship and overwrought ideology that burden so much of our political discourse.
TAGS

Created By

RebelMouse

About Masthead Terms of Service Privacy Statement Advertise Contact

Smart. Sharp. Funny. Fearless

Damning Text Messages Detonated The Gaetz Ethics Bombshell

Male Aide Accuses CPAC Chief Schlapp Of Unwanted Sexual 'Groping'

Rep. Cawthorn Deflects Sexual Misconduct Allegations As 'Democrat Attacks'

Shop our Store

Constitution Cork Coaster

Democracy Mug

Make America Think Again Hat

Constitution Rocks Glass

Headlines

Desperate Republicans Trying To Bully 'Vulnerable' Democrats Over Trump Budget

Polls Show Americans Oppose Trump's War On Iran

Trump Policies Poised To Devastate His Voters In Rural America

'We've Been Lied To': Margie Says Iran Strike Exposed Ruinous Rift In GOP

Editor's Blog

Besides Food Dyes, What Endangers Children's Health? Bobby's Hypocrisy

At First HHS Press Conference, Kennedy Enrages Autism Families With Falsehoods

Brilliant Tariff Strategy Or Market Manipulation? We Report, You Decide

In Trump's Hands, Absolute Power Brings Inevitable Catastrophe

Corona Virus