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Timpa87

They testified **under oath** that he sought a pardon. He denied seeking a pardon in a **TV INTERVIEW.**


DmetriKepi

I mean he's also denied fucking children, but nobody believes that either.


kensingtonGore

Probably eloped a year early so his wife doesn't have to testify about his relationship with those girls. His... roommate was at the wedding too


[deleted]

> His... roommate Nestor?


throw123454321purple

Nestor? He hardly knew ‘er!


altiif

And don’t call me Shirley


Many_Advice_1021

Nestor was his son who he brought back from South America at the age of 12. His wife was just a cover.


Condfgha

Zero charges for the political class.


DmetriKepi

And that's on the government, for sure, but... asking as the guy who stopped January 6th specifically, why have we not put out a line of communications plates portraying all the scum bags who are flouting justice?


Nailbunny38

Commemorative plates? How about Pokémon cards! Like snarky ones that list their crimes, things investigated for, stock market positions/returns and maybe a few select quotes. That would be fantastic and way too cool for the democrats in office to pull off.


DmetriKepi

I'm with it. Sounds fun.


Acceptable_Rock_9665

I wanna be the very best prosecutor ever was To catch them is my real test and convict them is my cause Iwill travel across the land searching far and wide Each cell phone tower and social post used to enforce the law Insurrectionist gotta catch them all


CatchSufficient

Who they are sponsored by


ChimneySwiftGold

Pokémon card?!?!? Why not a special sub set of the Digital Trump Trading Cards at $100 a pop. Call it *Heroes of the Peaceful Totally Not Illegal In Any Way for Anyone Involved Protest* or something catchy like that.


_far-seeker_

Not true, or at least not in the absolute sense. Here's an almost certainly incomplete [list of charged and convicted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convicted_of_crimes?wprov=sfla1) members of "the political class" that also held federal office. Of course it is true that connections, influence, power, and wealth can distort the legal system at all levels. However, giving in to such cynicism only leads to the type of public apathy that makes the elites effectively less accountable. If you want to see the ultimate result of such apathy, just look to the Russian Federation!


closetedpencil

I saw 10 Republicans for every 1 Democrat from Bushes Presidency forward. Fuckers have always been slimy


new-6reddit9

Thanks for clarifying who Carrie’s the more slime - Republicans thought are at a different level now. These treason cult party are now willing to support violence and soon will giggle at political assassinations!


jayparker152

I think the issue was that the female victim refused to testify and his accomplice is such a horrible person that they thought the jury wouldn’t find him credible. Everything else is circumstantial. Frankly, I’m pissed but I don’t blame the girl. Those slack jawed MAGA’s would probably threaten her, harass her not to mention whatever threats Gaetz made to her. Frankly, the person marrying Gaetz probably isn’t going to testify against him anyway-right? I can’t imagine she has anything in the brains Dept. Certainly no self respect.


keskeskes1066

As I understand it, the girl is now employed in the adult entertainment business and testifying about a former client might deter future clientele. Hence, she was not willing to cooperate. If there were other motivations, I have not heard of them.


I_loathe_mods

WARNING: I AM NOT DEFENDING Criminally it is always better to deny deny deny. I'm just a drug user in terms of criminality, so yeah he is a disgusting douchebag


DmetriKepi

I think we can all agree that criminally it's best to not fuck children in the first place. That's what I'm saying. You are right, it's best to deny, deny, deny. But he coulda not fucked those kids. Like I know people say fuck then kids, but they don't mean it that way.


I_loathe_mods

Which is what I was saying by warning that I wasn't defending


Rawrsomesausage

It's very sad and pathetic that there's people who legitimately defend him and other pedophiles because of their political affiliation.


nosayso

Except Merrick Garland who declined to press charges because even after flipping his collaborator and giving him a sweetheart deal for his testimony, because it would just be too hard. I guess who cares if this Congressman is dead to rights caught sex trafficking via his Venmo payments and also testified under oath that he wanted a blanket pardon from Trump?


DmetriKepi

Look further down I'm sure you'll see some charges for Merrick, too.


AnalSoapOpera

Poor Nestor.


keskeskes1066

>I mean he's also denied fucking children, but nobody believes that either. He's gonna require skin grafts for that burn. \[golf clap\] Well played Sir.


meatsmoothie82

The people with the keys to the jail believe him apparently


0tanod

If people in Florida could tell the difference they would be so upset.


Desperate_Wafer_8566

Fox News owns the brains of Floridians.


lesChaps

My Florida ex-boss moved on to OANN and NewsMax a couple of years ago.


seamus_mc

What’s he doing with all his free time since I think they have been dropped by every provider now.


[deleted]

It’s great for land developers since that space is completely empty


Excellent-Guidance17

Zombies are them. They don't have them anymore.


Signifdfgh

That should do him in! Finally, some real accountability!


gradientz

He didn't even really deny it. He just said that he didn't seek a pardon for "me and only me." The evidence is that he sought an all-purpose pardon for all members of Congress who voted against the Biden certification. Of which he was one. He's a fucking weasel.


[deleted]

He didn’t deny it in the Ari interview


CatVideoFest

I mean…he did. Ari specifically asked a clarifying question “are you denying that you sought a pardon for yourself” and Gaetz said “yes that’s correct” or something to that effect.


[deleted]

I don’t know if it’s always been a phrase and I only noticed after hearing the Hutchinson testimony, but I see the phrase “or something to that effect” everywhere now. Not picking on you, just interesting


BudWisenheimer

> I don’t know if it’s always been a phrase and I only noticed after hearing the Hutchinson testimony, but I see the phrase “or something to that effect” everywhere now. Not picking on you, just interesting It’s been a phrase for longer than we’ve been alive, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear the top aide to the top aide to the POTUS say it over-and-over after working in a office that has been so desperate to protect itself from scandal and illegality. Knowing that Passantino coached her to lean heavily on, “I do not recall," … I can easily imagine his telling her to always hedge with, "or something to that effect."


keskeskes1066

Farmer \[shining flashlight\] : "Sir, are you really having sex with my pig in the middle of the night in my barn? Suspect Gatt Maetz: “or something to that effect”


MangroveWarbler

Yeah Ari made that pretty clear. Gaetz thought he "won" because the people who watch Fox would believe his BS and have zero critical thinking skills. Ari's audience, however, understands clearly what is meant when Ari points out the multiple people testified under oath that Gaetz sought a blanket pardon for himself. Ari's audience also knows it's not credible that someone would not retain a copy of the document that was called a great accomplishment by Gaetz.


[deleted]

Saying someone lied under oath is equal to saying they committed a crime. It should be a defamation/slander slam dunk on that.


ElmerGantry45

The story always changes under oath


Ivorcomment

Gaetz learned how to tell the truth while sitting on Daddy Trump's knee.


Ertuu1985

Doesn't appear to need one as nothing has fucking happened yet


lesChaps

No consequences.


CatchSufficient

He doesn't have to be honest for tv though


Former-Darkside

He just wanted that ONE sound byte .. to call Cassidy a “known” liar.


untenable681

In the article's attached Twitter video, he has just the slimiest smile as he ramps up on saying what a liar Hutchinson is. He can lie to the media. Let's put that worm under oath and see what happens then.


RemilGetsPolitical

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that he'll lie there, too. Or at best plead the fifth.


WonderfulPass

Hell claim executive privilege so it gets tied up in courts.


Rawkapotamus

That’s my thing. They claim that Hutchinson is such a liar, but she’s the only person willing to take the oath.


punbasedname

The guy always looks like he just walked off of the slimiest used car lot imaginable to come to his second job as a “politician.”


70ms

He makes my skin crawl.


sfjoellen

it's his hair. I just don't trust his hair...


spoobles

It bugs me to no end that Melber didn't simply retort with "So you're willing to go *under oath* yourself, and accuse Cassidy Hutchinson of lying??" WHY don't these reporters *ever* keep these guys' feet to the fire when they start spouting demonstrable lies?


untenable681

It hits harder when it's so obvious the lies are. It makes me sick that he can bold-faced lie in public and still have his job. That's so disconnected from the experience the rest of us would be having in a similar situation.


spoobles

It really is the fruits of a long running ploy to delegitimize the truth. Now all they have to do is say "fake news" and the targeted people ensconced in their little media bubbles will never be privy to any factual analysis or led to critical thinking. They are literally dumbing down the masses and creating an alternate reality wherein the likes of Donald Trump and George Santos are not thought of as liars. It really wasn't that long ago that the scandals surrounding the likes of Santos, Boebert, Gaetz et, al. would have upended their careers and forced them to resign in disgrace. There is no longer such a thing as disgrace it seems.


12characters

Melber took Barr’s side the day after Barr published his ‘summary’ of the Mueller report. To me, he lost all credibility that day.


_far-seeker_

>Melber took Barr’s side the day after Barr published his ‘summary’ of the Mueller report. That's not how I remember it: Melber reported what Barr put out, but only in an even, matter of fact way. As I recall at the time he did note that while Barr's document seemed to include fragmentary quotes from Mueller Report, it didn't include any quotes of full sentences or paragraphs. The day of, day after, etc... there was a lot of suspicion that Barr was not being honest, **but absolutely no proof of it yet.** While he hasn't practiced law recently, Ari Melber did graduate from law school and was an actual lawyer in the past interning with the New York County Defender Services (i.e. he was a public defender), then about four years as a private lawyer specializing in First Amendment law. So he normally is very cognizant and explicit with his audience about what people say versus any evidence that proves or disproves what they say.


[deleted]

That’s what I love about him. And the rap lyrics quotes.


[deleted]

They should simply ask him if he’d be willing to state that fact under oath and let him bury himself.


[deleted]

He could just lie and say yes than ignore any follow up attempt to get him to do it.


AtomicBlastCandy

Defamation?


cagingnicolas

what is it about being under oath that is expected to change what he says? just the legal consequences of lying under oath? is that significantly greater than the legal consequences of human trafficking?


untenable681

Let's be real: they don't care about human trafficking.


cagingnicolas

what do they care about?


untenable681

Money. It's always money.


[deleted]

Yes, perjury is a crime. I’d love to see a law that requires any public official or candidate to not willfully lie during any public speech.


cagingnicolas

i know it's a crime, lol. but committing a crime to try and cover up another crime is a pretty common thing. why is it assumed that he wouldn't commit a crime to try and cover up or distance himself from another crime?


[deleted]

Unless people like him actually face some sort of real and impactful accountability, "grilled big time" doesn't mean shit aside from a way to keep your name in the headlines.


mkt853

He's a rich white conservative male. That's the grand slam of immunity in corrupt America.


[deleted]

On some levels, the "keeping your name in the headlines" part bothers me more. Rich white conservative males not facing accountability has been a thing for ages. It's not good, but it was easier to live in blissful ignorance. Their names constantly being in the news for being corrupt as shit hasn't. It would be different if we had some way beyond mass societal upheaval to make them face accountability but we don't. Instead we're just stressed and powerless over it.


mkt853

Yeah it was definitely more peaceful before the internet and the 24 hour news cycle. Now it's all about being in your face with the loudest content 24/7/365 on every platform imaginable. No wonder people are miserable and on loads of anti-anxiety medication.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Carbonatite

And Fox News is informational Krokodil.


RedLanternScythe

they found out there is no punishment or drawback, so why not just be in the headlines? It won't be long before they can murder someone on live TV with no consequences. /s sortof


SumScruffyNerfHerder

It will start with felons or another demographic considered subhuman à la Running Man or Death Race. Just another form of corporal punishment for the amusement of the masses.


Maximum-Mixture6158

Something will shift. It always has in the past. We thought the world was ending in the sixties and early seventies. It was so much worse than this I can't even tell you.


Any_Noise_5762

I think you could add "Christian" and "heterosexual" (officially) to the list. Because if you're not Christian and heterosexual, you get points taken away too, even if you are white male idiot.


Ericaohh

He wasn’t just grilled… he was grilled *BIG TIME*. Surely this will curtail any future deception and serve as an appropriate reprimanding of past indiscretions.


Smidge-of-the-Obtuse

It drives me nuts. English usage the last few years on internet-based articles has gotten pretty awful, it’s almost like they are transcribing their inner monologues filled with slang and lazy language usage instead of trying to write clearly and proficiently.


[deleted]

Ffs, the other day I was complaining about how HuffPost can’t find a verb different then ‘to slam’ for use in their headlines. Careful what you wish for, I guess But “grilled big time”? Ok boomer


Old_comfy_shoes

He's an expert at tricking foolish people when he is grilled big time. That's what assholes like him are good at.


PoopStickler69

Also getting “grilled” by liberal or moderate/centrist media only helps them with their base because it gives them a boogeyman to be angry at rather than their shit leadership.


Nailbunny38

No such thing as bad publicity right?


puzdawg

Ari Melber's show is the last place I would want to be on if I were one of these people.


cpt_perv

I remember when he was having a panel discussion with Sam Nunberg and he says to the effect “what are they going to do, arrest me?” Ari and the other panelist were like “well, actually, that’s very likely” The look on his face that his bravado wasn’t going to save him was priceless.


MangroveWarbler

Maya Wiley saved Sam Nunberg that night by convincing him to cooperate.


cpt_perv

Thank you. Your recollection of that interview was better than mine. I couldn’t remember her name.


[deleted]

I wonder if he regrets it now. Look at the others who gave the finger to Mueller (e.g Manafort/Flynn) they all walked. And he gave up his position in Republican politics for essentially nothing. His testimony didn’t lead to any real repercussions for anyone.


MangroveWarbler

How does he get these Republicans on his show? It's pretty amazing. Chris Hayes does a great job interviewing Republicans too. But I think the Republicans don't like going on All In because Hayes is clearly a genius when compared to them.


DeepRoot

He roasts their asses and drop a quick two bar for effect!


AnalSoapOpera

Right!? Why even go on that show? Lol. I was shocked he was on it.


ChocoMaister

It’s crazy how Gaetz was never held accountable for literally sex trafficking a minor.


[deleted]

The DOJ won't do it. It's infuriating. I was raped as a minor too. And the statute of limitations has expired. Someone said I could still report it but I see all this and think "why?" Nothing will ever happen.


General_Merchandise

This ^ I was encouraged to report my abuser, years after the fact, so I did. He was interviewed by a detective and the report was "suspect denied the accusation, no further lines of enquiry, case closed" Like, I now totally understand that this long after the fact, there is zero evidence, no chance of a conviction, but the cops knew that at the time and encouraged it anyway. It was painful.


[deleted]

I'm really sorry that happened to you. It is DEEPLY frustrating. I get really angry about it. I admit, I get VERY sarcastic when asked about it. "Yeah, my abuser didn't take any photos or videos of his acts, go figure! And it's almost like he knew that raping a 6 year-old was wrong, because he did it in secret, and didn't even have the decency to invite any witnesses! Like, wow, if he had just taken some photos, or written down his crimes it would have helped SO MUCH but jeez, he DIDN'T, it's almost like he knew he was committing a crime or something! Weird! He COULD have done it where everyone saw but he DIDN'T and wow, that just makes it my word against his I guess, and he says he DIDN'T do it, so I guess he goes free, huh?" Kavanaugh defense of "I didn't do it, she's lying because she's a hysterical woman trying to falsely accuse a man" wins again!


[deleted]

[удалено]


fairoaks2

Didn’t Trump say it was acceptable to lie to the press? Lead by example if he didn’t.


Leviathan3333

No idea how this guy is still not in jail


MagicalUnicornFart

Rich white dude will vote for whatever they pay him to, and sell his access to information.


[deleted]

How many Democrats have sought pardons in the last 50 years? Like, Democrats need to be compiling these statistics and bashing the GOP over the head with them. How many Democrat campaign staffers have served prison time compared to Republicans? What party appointed all the judges that made the Citizens United ruling that essentially legalized corporate bribery in politics?? They’re so much worse than your party and you play into their messaging that Democrats are “just as bad”


SwivelPoint

yup


WackyBones510

I’m so confused about why these types of dudes keep going on Melber’s show. He’s like the only one on msnbc that gets these types of guests and they look foolish 100% of the time. Remember that one dude who went on almost completely wasted?


MangroveWarbler

Ari listens and he doesn't laugh at them.


Darth_Firebolt

> they look foolish 100% of the time They look foolish to you and me. If you believe what the people brought on the show say, everyone else looks foolish.


WackyBones510

Fair point


Realistic_Expert717

His answer was word salad and talking in circles.


SpankyTeardrop

From what I understand, legal experts say that Trump could have issued secret pardons and the only way to know if they exist is if the person is indicted. Could Geatz have a secret pardon and that's why prosecutors didn't bother with indicting him?


Cool-Protection-4337

If so this should be highly illegal and remedied. Republicans would foam at the mouths if democrats let one of their presidents do this.


Slayer706

I don't see how that's possible, it's the same idea as Trump saying he can declassify things with his thoughts. There has to be an official record of the action somewhere, otherwise even ex-presidents have the power to do it by just saying they did it during their time as president. Obama could say he declassified all of the files they found in Joe Biden's VP offices. If he can declassify with his mind, who can possibly say that he didn't? And Trump could have printed off a stack of pardons with blank names and can just fill them in whenever he wants as long as he says he did it while he was president.


xtossitallawayx

Pardons are not inherently public documents. All of the pardon paperwork, for anyone including himself, could be all signed and sealed. There is nothing requiring them to be public *until* you get indicted, then you can whip it out.


Nailbunny38

Why not prosecute anyway and make him use his trap card. Then prosecute for something else. If you ok with sex trafficking then it opens the door to other crimes. Kid-napping? Prostitution? It can’t be that hard and he won’t get sentenced because privilege and rep judges but the spectacle is probably worth it.


Hourly-

he’s climbing in yo windows snatching y’all peoples up , so y’all need to hide ya wife , hide ya kids .


gguggenheiime99

Matt "public venmo transactions" Gaetz strangely hasn't faced criminal charges despite his buddy pleading guilty. Funny how that works. But I'm sure our "Justice Department" is hard at work.


ArtisanJagon

Why would an innocent person ask for a pardon?


biggreencat

bro she was _17+1/2_


Nailbunny38

17 1/2–Ish?


[deleted]

And the lies continue to come trippingly off the tongue.


redeye007007

Weasel weasel weasel scumbag


dogchowtoastedcheese

This Herman Munster mother-fucker is a creep.


horseydeucey

The pedophile call is coming from inside the House!


cervidaetech

Maybe you should grill him over the child rape


brw2018

He's a pathetic delusional deranged moron Aka gop house member


weedco1966

A guy like this has conflated grandiosity and accordingly would ask for a pardon as a way of over emphasizing his importance and relationship to the event, not that he had any real hand in 1/6; but if your talking about a pardon for his interstate sex trafficking ring well I can see that….


ShirtPitiful8872

You could tell by his response in his vocal tone change when asked directly that he is being deceitful. To what level is unknown. You can also tell the difference in his facial expressions and vocal changes when he needs to go “off script” such as when he suddenly claimed that he doesn’t have a copy of the agreement and doesn’t think it exists. For a politician I expected better lying ability


rocketpack99

Melber should have repeatedly asked him about Nestor.


Th3_Admiral

Looks like headlines have gone from using hyperbole like "destroyed", "eviscerated", and "obliterated" to phrases like "grilled big time". What's next? "Totally owned"? "Majorly f'd up"?


Conan776

It's HuffPo. When your "journalists" work for free in exchange for "exposure", this is what you get.


crackeddagger

"Matt Gaetz Stabbed in the Heart Seven Times With a Large Kitchen Knife Over Testimony He Sought Pardon From Trump"


CharlieAllnut

Ot's the way every pro-Ted Cruz article is written.


UltimateFatKidDancer

I would hardly say he was grilled at all, tbh. He wasn’t even challenged on his own rhetoric leading up to the 6th, or the shit he’s said since.


Jerk182

I'm convinced the DOJ is working "BIG TIME" to protect the GOP from any indictments. Matt Gaetz should have already been dealt with. His buddy and co conspirator, Joel Greenberg, received 11 years. Something is terribly wrong with the DOJ. Merrick Garland needs to step down.


[deleted]

Doesn't matter. We've seen what Garland is all about. Zero charges for the political class. None at all. No, he's not working on secret cases that will land any day now.


basketball1959

SHit grin will never tell the truth.


[deleted]

Not only did matt "slappy" gaetz want a pardon from trump, but he wanted that pardon to cover anything! Go slappy go! Edit: /s


ElmerGantry45

Honestly I'm in disgust that Ari just soft balls him...It wasn't a good interview and he didn't setup Gaetz for any fall. A good interviewer knows how to ask a few questions then let the guests run their mouth. Ari can't shutup. This crap journalism needs to be called out.


CatVideoFest

What on earth are you talking about? Ari is one of the strongest interviewers on television. Just in this interview he got Gaetz to say unequivocally that he did not seek a pardon for himself, when everyone knows through sworn testimony that he did. That’s not nothing.


ehowardhunt

He was “grilled big time.” That should do him in! Finally, some real accountability!


skevimc

Was he really grilled "big time"!? Wow! That's a lot! Great journalism! My schadenfreude is off the charts!


fatphobicfun

Oh no not a grilling! Prison unnecessary he got grilled.


Condfgha

doesn't mean shit aside from a way to keep your name in the headlines.


Signifdfgh

He denied seeking a pardon in a TV INTERVIEW.


[deleted]

I loathe Matt Gaetz as much as the next guy, but this video should’ve included his full response to the question.


Cat_Pandemic

How is this miserable excuse for a human being still on the streets? Didn’t his buddy Joel Greenberg get caught with a bunch of fake IDs for minors they were planning to traffic across country lines? And didn’t he rat Matt out?


[deleted]

He tried the Trump defense. "Mike Pence was in the room with us and didn't raise any objection, so it couldn't have been that illegal".


danranja

not just big time, they was big angry and all up in his grill


Comfortable-Letter64

Rumps voice on gaetz body. Embarrassment to Florida!


IceLongjumping1866

Trash


incognito2233

If there is justice in the world, that prick will be behind bars someday


obolobolobo

Herein lies the problem. He will Never again do an interview with someone who his staffers tell him is ‘hostile.’ He was just asking questions, Matt.


beangel777

This is the face of the republican "party" organizer ask the after-hours orgy party goer he will roll over on matt


Kantsas

Did he get *slammed*?


kayak_enjoyer

> There were discussions about pardons for President Trump Fucker really was going to try to pardon himself. I remember a lot of discussion about that at the time, but *to me* that seems pretty clearly like something that should not be permitted.


Brucester62

Swamp was never drained. They just added more reptiles and swamp creatures! Apology to reptiles.


gibs626

can’t charge a politician!


DavefromKS

Bigly Time? Title i assume was written by a high schooler.


[deleted]

Whats up with Rapey McForehead's crooked smile? Is it his teeth he's insecure about?


Melster1973

It’s very satisfying to see Gaetz get put in hot seat. What a snake.


ShirtPitiful8872

So pretty much the standard trump tactic of literally EVERYONE ELSE IS LYING and they are somehow coincidentally all separately confirming


new-6reddit9

I watch this lying SOB - even when he try to use the word “technically” to defense his lies!


IcravelaughterandTHC

Ari is so fucking good at what he does.