You did.  The ethics complaint is about sex trafficking predicated on the investigation on his alleged sexual relations with a 17 year old.

"Setting aside the investigation into paying a 17 year old for sex which was closed without a public explanation"

You toss out that little grenade implying the investigation was closed secretly and improperly, then pretend it had nothing to do with the ethics probe.

Please try and keep up.

That is different. I was saying "setting aside...." for the sake of discussion, not saying the DOJ set it aside.

I didn't imply the investigation was closed secretly or improperly.

so much for "innocent until proven guilty"
what other tenets of police investigations do you not believe in?

I didn't say he was guilty.
Biden wasn't found guilty of any crimes either yet I seem to recall you asserting illegal behavior on his part... Is that a selective value you hold?

I'm gonna apply the same sentiment to Gaetz as I do for Trump.  We're not looking for somebody holy like The Pope.  As Katie Hopkins (batshit bonkers britain) famously said, "I'd rather have a president that grabs a woman by the pu$$y, than to have a pu$$y for a president."  I get the impression that Matt Gaetz will kick serious ass at the DOJ and FBI, and believe me, the swamp is deep there, and it's sorely needed.  That's my opinion, and I hope he gets confirmed, but if the swamp conspires against him, well, it's the nations' loss, and next man up.  I do want somebody that's on fire, has a sense to right some wrongs.  The DoJ, the FBI, the ATF, TSA, the whole slew of them, "etc" have all been on the wrong side of We The People for the last 8 years, weaponized lawfare.

When you are talking about someone leading the DOJ I would argue you want someone who respects the law though. Sure, you don't care if a firefighter has a DUI on his record when pulling you from a burning home but you care that someone in charge of the DOJ isn't going to be violating the 4th amendment.

I think he might be capable of making some changes for good but there are many others who have more credentials without the sordid past, who could also do the job.

That's stupid.  you're arguing about a distinction without a difference.

A video of you shooting your dog is evidence -- something a court would consider along with other factors including the elements of the law. 

The video is also proof you shot your dog.  One item can be both evidence and proof, so no difference.

You never took philosophy or algebra?  Were you not taught how to prove something without having direct evidence?  Did you also not learn that separate pieces of evidence can join together and provide proof?

Why do you turn everything into your own thought-experiment?

Wrong. A witness statement is considered a piece of evidence but a witness testifying in court isn't "proof".

Plus you completely glossed over the main point. You had a woman testify before congress of inappropriate sexual behavior by Gaetz. You have other republican congressmen describing witnessing immoral and potentially illegal behavior by Gaetz. Using the word "proof" is so you can move the goalposts because you can always claim a witness statement doesn't amount to proof, thereby leaving an avenue to argue why this shouldn't be used against him. The confirmation process isn't even limited to whether he was convicted or not.

To go on the extortion note further, you incorrectly jump to the conclusion that because he was being extorted that the subsequent investigation being announced means it was all fake. You don't even consider the possibility that maybe he was extorted because he actually did the crime. Plus you paint it as if the investigation into Gaetz is something that only came after the extortion case. Think about it, the investigation into Matt Gaetz is what the extorter tried to use to get the money. He offered to make the case go away in exchange for payment. Without the investigation there is nothing to extort over. 

Furthermore you stated Gaetz was brought up on charges when Gaetz was never charged with anything.

Those are opinions and conclusions.  You have yet to describe what "Too authoritarian, too divisive, etc." means.

I don't have to. If you tell me the cake was too sweet do I get to demand you explain what "too sweet" means? No, it is your preference, you don't have to justify your preference to me. 
Plus I don't believe your questions are a genuine quest to understand my opinion, you want to bicker.

When you are talking about someone leading the DOJ I would argue you want someone who respects the law though. Sure, you don't care if a firefighter has a DUI on his record when pulling you from a burning home but you care that someone in charge of the DOJ isn't going to be violating the 4th amendment.

I think he might be capable of making some changes for good but there are many others who have more credentials without the sordid past, who could also do the job.

Who would you suggest?  Gaetz has the balls to stand up and not go with the flow when people are getting screwed. Like the J6 people he defended (not their lawyer) in a congressional hearing who were being held without being able to see a lawyer, in solitary, etc...

Theoretically possible but I don't think that will pass constitutional muster. When recess appointments were written into the constitution things were very different. Congress worked only part of the year and couldn't readily come back. Now they work almost year round. A president fenagling a way to force congress into recess so he could make a recess appointment is something I would bet would end up in front of the SCOTUS. It is also something antithetical to conservatism since it is concentrating more power in the presidency.

Go read the Supreme Court Ruling on recess appointments.  It's not about Conservative or Liberal ideologies.  It's about a process that was decided on for a reason.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLRB_v._Noel_Canning

Speaking of "fenagling" [sic], during Trump's first term, the Senate would hold a roll call every 10 days and do nothing else just to reset the clock and keep Trump from using recess appointments to circumvent the slow-rolling the Senate was engaged in just to prevent Trump from filling his cabinet positions.


Read this.  you might learn something important about the confirmation process and why it's in need of a tune-up.

It’s time to fix the broken
Senate confirmation process

The intention of the framers in establishing the confirmation process was
to allow presidents to staff administrations with the very best while limiting
the power of the executive branch to install unsuitable candidates or use
government positions for personal and political gain.

https://rollcall.com/2021/11/15/its-time-to-fix-the-broken-senate-confirmation-process/

Now the process is used as just another bargaining chip which members of the Senate can use to advance their agendas in exchange for a smooth confirmation of one or more nominees.

Gaetz has crossed the aisle on a few issues, even siding with AOC and takes some respectable anti-corruption positions. He is too MAGA for my tastes but that is just politics.

However as a person Gaetz seems to be a total sh!tbag. Setting aside the investigation into paying a 17 year old for sex which was closed without a public explanation as to why, ...

Maybe the fact that there was no admission of any wrongdoing, that the initial reason for the investigation was an association between the actual trafficker and the 17 year old, and the witnesses were deemed unreliable and not credible, lead to the case being closed.

That's a far cry from "without a public explanation."

The probe intensified following revelations about Gaetz’s ties to Joel Greenberg,
a former Seminole County tax collector, who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking and
other charges in 2021 and admitted to paying women for sex, including the minor
in question, and introducing her to other men. Gaetz’s name surfaced during the
investigation, with prosecutors examining whether he had paid for sex or had any
involvement in the trafficking scheme.

Gaetz vehemently denies the allegations, calling them part of a politically motivated
extortion attempt. His attorney insisted that no evidence connected him to the crimes,
and in February 2023, the DOJ closed its investigation into him without filing charges.
Prosecutors reportedly struggled with witness credibility, including Greenberg’s
testimony.

https://time.com/7177301/matt-gaetz-allegations-justice-house-ethics/

i guess nobody facing serious sex trafficking charges ever fabricated a story about someone else in order to cut a deal, huh?

the witnesses sound not credible
biden DOJ has had this info since 2022, and they did nothing
there's no way they would've let this go if it were anywhere near solid

yeah, even the view had to immediately walk back their shit...

The fact that most of the establishment doesn’t like him tells me he is the right man for the job.

They are afraid of what he will discover.

Can’t believe he caved. Kavanaugh 2.0

hmmmm. 

Heard on Tim Cast that since he won reelection, he's still able to take that seat in the House on Jan 3rd.

He is also able to be appointed to the Senate by FL Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat.

His explanation for withdrawing is the feeling his nomination is an unfair distraction to the Trump transition.

One can't be blamed for wondering whether this was a planned event.  Since his resignation, that ethics committee report was finalized.  The House voted to prevent its release publicly since he's no longer in the House.  It's going to take another vote, I assume, to make it public in Jan.  Since the House will have a GOP majority, there's a chance that report stays private.

It's possible Gaetz was a sacrificial nominee.  When Trump talked to Senators about his cabinet's confirmation hearings, Matt may have been the bargaining chip he need to get the rest confirmed. 

The person I would love to see confirmed is Jim Jordon.  He seems to always ask the right questions in hearings and doesn't put up with the time-consuming stonewalling of witnesses.

Matt Gaetz dropped out.  I guess the kitchen got too hot.  First casualty of the deep swamp.

hmmmm. 

Heard on Tim Cast that since he won reelection, he's still able to take that seat in the House on Jan 3rd.

He is also able to be appointed to the Senate by FL Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill Marco Rubio's Senate seat.

His explanation for withdrawing is the feeling his nomination is an unfair distraction to the Trump transition.

One can't be blamed for wondering whether this was a planned event.  Since his resignation, that ethics committee report was finalized.  The House voted to prevent its release publicly since he's no longer in the House.  It's going to take another vote, I assume, to make it public in Jan.  Since the House will have a GOP majority, there's a chance that report stays private.

It's possible Gaetz was a sacrificial nominee.  When Trump talked to Senators about his cabinet's confirmation hearings, Matt may have been the bargaining chip he need to get the rest confirmed. 

The person I would love to see confirmed is Jim Jordon.  He seems to always ask the right questions in hearings and doesn't put up with the time-consuming stonewalling of witnesses.

I'm wondering about this as well. Art of the deal. Gaetz knew he was only to be used as a bargaining chip as Trump explained it to him ahead of time.

I still liked Gaetz for AG.  I hope the next person is just as aggressive for justice.

I'm wondering about this as well. Art of the deal. Gaetz knew he was only to be used as a bargaining chip as Trump explained it to him ahead of time.

I still liked Gaetz for AG.  I hope the next person is just as aggressive for justice.

Absolutely.  The next AG needs to clean house in the DOJ.  Too many swamp critters with guns and badges feeling like they can do anything they want, and that anyone who disagrees gets "investigated."

John Bolton spilled the beans when he said on CNN that Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz should both be investigated by the FBI.  For WHAT?  Because he doesn't like them?  What have they done that the FBI needs to investigate?  Tulsi was already on a secret Quiet Skies list of "dangerous people", and Matt was investigated by the DOJ with no charges filed.  So again, what for?

Bolton showed how it is SOP to simply use the FBI as a weapon against political opponents, and it has nothing to do with an articulable suspicion of an actual crime.

the witnesses sound not credible
biden DOJ has had this info since 2022, and they did nothing
there's no way they would've let this go if it were anywhere near solid

SNIP

'
you sure? 

they've "held on" for much less. . . if it served an agenda, but I digress. . .

word is pam bondi, former AG of florida
other speculation is that they did his to flush out who was going to go against trump
not shocking that at the top of the list were McConnell murkowski collins (maine) and curtis (utah)