The federal government had witnesses, flight records, and Venmo receipts, but decided not to indict Rep. Matt Gates (R-Florida).
CNN reported:
The final decision was made by Justice Department leaders after investigators recommended against prosecution last year.
“After speaking with the Justice Department, we have been informed that they have completed an investigation into allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice with Congressman Gates and have decided not to indict him,” Gates’ attorney said. Mark Mukathy and Isabel Kirshner said in a statement.
Jose Pagliery of The Daily Beast, who did a lot of investigative reporting on this article, tweeted:
The Feds had confessions. Private Venmoth. Uber receipt. flight record.
Still, they have no intention of indicting Rep. Matt Gates.
This is even more surprising. @SollenbergerRC & I was the one who exposed the evidence @thedailybeast:https://t.co/JqortIYMme
— Jose Pagliery (@Jose_Pagliery) February 15, 2023
It may seem surprising that Gates was never indicted, but it is not surprising because in America’s twisted justice system, men, whites and rich people are treated differently than others. . The Federal Bureau of Investigation was afraid to go after Gates because it had problems with the credibility of potential witnesses and did not want to rely solely on physical evidence to convict him.
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The reluctance to prosecute Gaetz is nothing new or unusual. Donald Trump has spent his entire adult life as a privileged white rich man. After Trump stole classified documents, the DOJ allowed him to negotiate with them for a year and a half before they finally took action.
If Matt Gates had been inferior in position and means to anyone else, he would have been indicted and now arrested. How can Americans believe in the rule of law when they see a justice system for the rich and powerful and a justice system for everyone else?
Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is also a White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a BA in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy with a specialization in the social reform movement.
Awards and Professional Membership
Member of the Association of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association