The woman at the center of the DOJ's probe of Matt Gaetz testified to the House Ethics Committee that he had sex with her when she was 17 years old, sources say.
The article mentions that he paid her to have sex with him at a party. That also makes it a sex trafficking crime. Also, IANAL but if the jurisdiction had an age of consent lower than 18, the sex trafficking part might negate that.
Also, Gaetz, who was born in 1982, was 35 at the time – double her age and well outside the limits of any potential Romeo & Juliet laws.
Florida started investigating him for this crime, which occurred in 2016, in 2019. In 2021 the House Ethics Committee started investigating, but they paused because the justice department was already investigating.
The issue with a teen and a 30 yo is the balance of power. Kids that age haven’t dated and figured out all the red flags making abuse much more likely and easy to pull off.
Once you’re both over 30 it doesn’t really make much difference apart from potential grossness which is super subjective.
I’m 48 and my girlfriend of several years is 31. We don’t really think about it. But if I were 31 she would have been 14. It’s not a pleasant thought in that context.
These parties were also said to be full of drugs (in addition to alcohol), which one could argue blurs any consent, especially when your looking at a 35/yr old man wanting to pay a 17/yr girl for sex. He was also a congressman by then, which also makes this a very lopsided power dynamic when arguing consent with a possibly intoxicated underage girl.
The woman’s allegation regarding Gaetz became part of the investigation following claims by Greenberg, a former friend of Gaetz who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence after reaching a deal with investigators in May 2021 in which he pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes, including sex trafficking of the woman when she was a minor and introducing her to other “adult men” who also had sex with her when she was underage.
This part also make one more inclined to believe this has something to it, and probably more women that aren’t coming forward because of all the death threats and toxicity projected at victims.
Why would having sex at a party make it trafficking.
It’s just paid for underage sex at a party.
Unless she was trafficked at the party by someone else, but I don’t think that gets the person paying charged with trafficking? That would get the person who trafficked her that charge.
The article mentions that he paid her to have sex with him at a party. That also makes it a sex trafficking crime. Also, IANAL but if the jurisdiction had an age of consent lower than 18, the sex trafficking part might negate that.
Also, Gaetz, who was born in 1982, was 35 at the time – double her age and well outside the limits of any potential Romeo & Juliet laws.
Wasn’t he older than that? I saw some other article stating this was 2 years ago when he would have been 40…
Florida started investigating him for this crime, which occurred in 2016, in 2019. In 2021 the House Ethics Committee started investigating, but they paused because the justice department was already investigating.
It’s a very confusing timeline
Guy seriously broke the ‘half your age + seven’ rule. Off with his head.
It’s 1/7th your age plus 2, right?
I tend to stick to within 5ish years of my own age. Any more seems weird.
My sister and I had an agreement, I don’t date anyone younger than her and she doesn’t date anyone older than me. :)
We’re 9 years apart.
Okay, but since you haven’t established birth order, that could be either a really good rule or a really bad one.
Yeah, sorry, I’m older. :)
I married someone 5 years younger than me, 4 years older than her.
TBH, I don’t know how old her husband is. Pretty sure he’s younger than me.
The answer to your riddle is… Your dating your sister! Roll tide.
I hope she’s your younger sister….
It becomes less meaningful as you get older.
The issue with a teen and a 30 yo is the balance of power. Kids that age haven’t dated and figured out all the red flags making abuse much more likely and easy to pull off.
Once you’re both over 30 it doesn’t really make much difference apart from potential grossness which is super subjective.
I’m 48 and my girlfriend of several years is 31. We don’t really think about it. But if I were 31 she would have been 14. It’s not a pleasant thought in that context.
I’m 45 and still feel the same way I did when I was younger. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
These parties were also said to be full of drugs (in addition to alcohol), which one could argue blurs any consent, especially when your looking at a 35/yr old man wanting to pay a 17/yr girl for sex. He was also a congressman by then, which also makes this a very lopsided power dynamic when arguing consent with a possibly intoxicated underage girl.
This part also make one more inclined to believe this has something to it, and probably more women that aren’t coming forward because of all the death threats and toxicity projected at victims.
AND HE IS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR NEW AG!!
Why would having sex at a party make it trafficking.
It’s just paid for underage sex at a party.
Unless she was trafficked at the party by someone else, but I don’t think that gets the person paying charged with trafficking? That would get the person who trafficked her that charge.