# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 14, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537 "2020-11-14T00:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1262 "2021-03-27T03:41:39Z")
But does Domknion have to prove actual malice? That standard only applies when the plaintiff is a public official or a public figure. The Wikipedia article on public figures says that corporations are not considered public figures: > [@](#): > > Corporations are not automatically treated as public figures, and defamation claims made by corporations are evaluated under the same standard as those made by individuals.[[5]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_figure#cite_note-5) > **[Public figure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_figure)** > > A public figure is a person who has achieved fame, prominence or notoriety within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own. > In the context of defamation actions (libel and slander) as well as invasion of privacy, a public figure cannot succeed in a lawsuit on incorrect harmful statements in the United States unless there is proof that the writer or publisher acted with actual malice by knowing the falsity or by reckless disr... ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1263 "2021-03-30T14:55:30Z")
Hot damn - for once, corporate personhood may actually lead to a good legal outcome! ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1264 "2021-03-30T17:34:13Z")
Lots of twitter ridicule for Matt Gaetz after rumors surface that he is seriously considering leaving Congress to take a media job at Newsmax. Great opportunity for him to do what’s best for his constituents and the American people as a whole— quit Congress!! > **['Bye Felicia': Matt Gaetz brutally mocked after report reveals he is thinking...](https://www.rawstory.com/matt-gaetz-leaving-congress/)** > > According to a report from Axios, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been confiding to friends that he is considering stepping down to become a media personality.Three sources told Axios that Gaetz "has privately told confidants he's seriously considering... ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1265 "2021-03-30T20:54:26Z")
Not enough national exposure as a dipshit congressperson. The actual plan is: 1.Get name and punchable face in front of DumpsterFire’s supporters via uncritical cable channel. 2. Run for President. 3. Profit (winning is not a requirement - just fleecing the flock). ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1266 "2021-03-30T22:02:11Z")
Welp, there might be more to the Matt Gaetz thing. I just got an alert from the New York Times that says he’s being investigated by the Justice Department over a possible “relationship” with a 17-year-old girl. Here’s the headline for those who can access NYT: > **[Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage...](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/politics/matt-gaetz-sex-trafficking-investigation.html)** > > An inquiry into the Florida congressman was opened in the final months of the Trump administration, people briefed on it said. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1267 "2021-03-30T23:33:39Z")
He’s a piece of work. Here are some snippets from that article I found ironic. _Investigators are examining whether Mr. Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, the people said. A variety of federal statutes make it illegal to induce someone under 18 to travel over state lines to engage in sex in exchange for money or something of value._ … _Mr. Gaetz said in an interview that his lawyers had been in touch with the Justice Department and that they were told he was the subject, not the target, of an investigation. “I only know that it has to do with women,” Mr. Gaetz said. “I have a suspicion that someone is trying to recategorize my generosity to ex-girlfriends as something more untoward.”_ Oh really? _In 2017, Mr. Gaetz was the only member of Congress to vote against a law that gave the federal government more power and money to fight human trafficking._ Yeah that tracks. _Mr. Gaetz is now engaged to an analyst named Ginger Luckey, 26, whom he proposed to at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 30._ You can’t make this shit up. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1268 "2021-03-30T23:46:45Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Lots of twitter ridicule for Matt Gaetz after rumors surface that he is seriously considering leaving Congress to take a media job at Newsmax. Great opportunity for him to do what’s best for his constituents and the American people as a whole— quit Congress!! These guys don’t give a shit about their constituents. Just like the ex-congressman I most hate - Jason Chaffetz. He was re-elected in 2016 in the gleeful anticipation of torturing Hillary for four years. When Trump won and took that fun away from him, he resigned to “spend time with his family”, who apparently didn’t mean that much to him when he was running. This blatant “fuck you” to his constituents showed even moreso what a vile piece of shit he is. Of course, he then went to Fox News so he could continue torturing Hillary, which was all he ever wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1269 "2021-03-30T23:49:56Z")
My suspicious mind leads me to wonder about the source of the ‘Gaetz in trouble for affairs with young women’ rumors. Frankly, if it turned out that Gaetz had floated these rumors _himself_ in an attempt to head off revelations of quite a different kind, I’d be anything but surprised. The whole ‘quitting Congress to become a Media Star!!!111!!!’ thing only adds to the likelihood that Gaetz knows something about his personal life—something _other_ than ‘I can’t leave the ladies alone!’—is about to hit the fan. ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1270 "2021-03-30T23:53:02Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > _Mr. Gaetz is now engaged to an analyst named Ginger Luckey, 26, whom he proposed to at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 30._ > > You can’t make this shit up. Ginger is the sister of Palmer Luckey, who invented the Oculus VR headsets and sold it to Facebook. He’s worth about $750M and hosted a Trump fundraiser out on Newport Beach last fall. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1271 "2021-03-31T00:02:57Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The whole ‘quitting Congress to become a Media Star!!!111!!!’ thing only adds to the likelihood that Gaetz knows something about his personal life—something _other_ than ‘I can’t leave the ladies alone!’—is about to hit the fan. Maybe he [loves his country](https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/newt-gingrich-i-cheated-on-my-wives-because-i-love-america-too-much/) too much to leave them alone. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1272 "2021-03-31T00:11:31Z")
If Gingrich is the man-shaped object I think he is, he will have trademarked that spectacularly-bad excuse for misconduct—leaving little Matty out of luck. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1273 "2021-03-31T06:45:33Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > My suspicious mind leads me to wonder about the source of the ‘Gaetz in trouble for affairs with young women’ rumors. It seems completely obvious to me where this came from. The investigations were initiated a while back, under the Trump admin, by Barr’s DOJ. This has confused a fair number of commentators, who apparently take the “Trump’s team was completely partisan and corrupt” line at face value, and don’t understand why a GOP president would investigate a GOP congressman and political ally. That’s because they’re still looking at Trump and his people like they were normal political operators. They weren’t, and they aren’t. They are a mob family. And they were investigating Gaetz (and lots of other GOP politicos, probably, as well) not to criminally prosecute them, but to collect compromising information that would be used to keep them in line. Had Trump won re-election, the Gaetz investigation would not have proceeded to an indictment. Instead, it would have been written up as an internal report, and quietly put into a drawer. Then one of Trump’s goons would have taken Gaetz into a closed-door meeting, warning him about the report and instructing him to maintain absolutely seamless loyalty or be faced with the threat of prison. I mean, it’s very telling that the investigation had been going on for months, but we didn’t hear a peep about it until power turned over to the Biden administration. It provides insight into the machinations that have been used to keep the Lindsay Grahams of the Beltway under control, and it makes you wonder how many other similar investigations into GOP wrongdoing might now come to light, with Biden’s people controlling the machine. Which would be a worst-case scenario for the GOP. They can’t plausibly accuse Biden of launching politically-motivated prosecutions, if the original investigations were initiated and the damning evidence collected by Trump’s people. I mean, they will _try,_ because of course they will, but the argument won’t fly with the general public, outside the already-hardened Trump cult. I suspect this story is going to get really interesting in a big fat hurry. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1274 "2021-03-31T06:59:40Z")
Real life isn’t a cheesy spy thriller, dude. These types of things are rarely directed from the top. This investigation grew out of a rather banal parallel criminal investigation of Gaetz’s friend, former Florida Man Joel Greenberg, who has been indicted on sex trafficking and corruption charges related to his brief tenure as a county tax assessor. Senior DOJ officials in Trump’s admin were informed of the investigation because that’s the protocol when congress critters are investigated. Nobody was acting at Trump’s or Barr’s direction here. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1275 "2021-03-31T11:26:49Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > It seems completely obvious to me where this came from. > > The investigations were initiated a while back, under the Trump admin, by Barr’s DOJ. This has confused a fair number of commentators, who apparently take the “Trump’s team was completely partisan and corrupt” line at face value, and don’t understand why a GOP president would investigate a GOP congressman and political ally. > > That’s because they’re still looking at Trump and his people like they were normal political operators. They weren’t, and they aren’t. They are a mob family. And they were investigating Gaetz (and lots of other GOP politicos, probably, as well) not to criminally prosecute them, but to collect compromising information that would be used to keep them in line. > > Had Trump won re-election, the Gaetz investigation would not have proceeded to an indictment. Instead, it would have been written up as an internal report, and quietly put into a drawer. Then one of Trump’s goons would have taken Gaetz into a closed-door meeting, warning him about the report and instructing him to maintain absolutely seamless loyalty or be faced with the threat of prison. I mean, it’s very telling that the investigation had been going on for months, but we didn’t hear a peep about it until power turned over to the Biden administration. > > It provides insight into the machinations that have been used to keep the Lindsay Grahams of the Beltway under control, and it makes you wonder how many other similar investigations into GOP wrongdoing might now come to light, with Biden’s people controlling the machine. > [@friedo](#): > > **Real life isn’t a cheesy spy thriller, dude.** These types of things are rarely directed from the top. This investigation grew out of a rather banal parallel criminal investigation of Gaetz’s friend, former Florida Man Joel Greenberg, who has been indicted on sex trafficking and corruption charges related to his brief tenure as a county tax assessor. Generally speaking, I’m not a conspiracy theory type and I would be in complete agreement with the part I bolded in **friedo** ’s quote. But **Cervaise** makes a compelling case. Look at Lindsay Graham’s instant conversion-- he HATED trump, calling him a ‘kook’ and a ‘racist’ before the election. Graham was friends with McCain and at least friendly wtih Biden, being on tape saying very nice things about Biden. He was a fairly reasonable and pragmatic politician for a Repub. Then, and I heard it was right after being invited on a golf outing with trump soon after the election, Graham did an instant 180 and became the toadiest of trump toadies. Why would that be? Was trump so convincing about the superiority of his policy agendas that he honestly convinced Graham to come over to his side? Or, is it more likely that trump and /or the trump admin, with plenty of help and teaching from trump’s buddy Putin on the art of Kompromat, presented Lindsay with a dossier of what they had on him? I mean, Putin is as close to a Bond villian as there is, and he clearly has some hold on trump. (Not saying there was Putin involvement with whatever this scandal is with Gaetz. Gaetz is stupid and hubristic enough that the trump admin could easily compromise him on their own, I’m sure.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1276 "2021-03-31T13:49:30Z")
Heheheheh. > **[Two US Capitol Police officers sue Trump and say he should be held...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/politics/us-capitol-police-sue-trump/index.html)** > > Two US Capitol Police officers who say they were injured during the January 6 insurrection are suing former President Donald Trump for inciting the crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1277 "2021-03-31T13:54:50Z")
I’m not sure how much traction these civil suits linking Trump to the riot will have, but anything that attempts to hold him accountable for his statements and actions that led to the event is a good thing IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1278 "2021-03-31T14:29:27Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Or, is it more likely that trump and /or the trump admin, with plenty of help and teaching from trump’s buddy Putin on the art of Kompromat, presented Lindsay with a dossier of what they had on him? I mean, Putin is as close to a Bond villian as there is, and he clearly has some hold on trump. There was nothing subtle or cloak-and-dagger about the Trump administration. The Cold War era and its associated conspiracy theories plummeted into obscurity in favor of QAnon. Trump openly exposed the skeletons in his closet, lied about them all, and still enjoyed unprecedented support. The simple truth is that Graham, like so many other Republicans, sided with Trump because they wouldn’t get re-elected if they didn’t openly support him. Those who didn’t left office on their own rather than get destroyed in the primaries by pro-Trumpers. Remember Paul Ryan? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1279 "2021-03-31T14:40:49Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > The simple truth is that Graham, like so many other Republicans, sided with Trump because they wouldn’t get re-elected if they didn’t openly support him. Those who didn’t left office on their own rather than get destroyed in the primaries by pro-Trumpers. Remember Paul Ryan? But I don’t know how immediately apparent it was that trump was going to have such a strong and enduring stranglehold over the Repub party that, as it turned out, he did. Per the Ryan example, he wasn’t forced out until about a good year and a half after trump’s election, whereas Graham’s conversion was almost instantly after the election. You might be right though; maybe Graham just saw the way things were going and made the decision to save his hide over his integrity early on. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1280 "2021-03-31T14:43:54Z")
> [@solost](#): > > You might be right though; maybe Graham just saw the way things were going and made the decision to save his hide over his integrity early on. - How can he save something he never had? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/1281 "2021-03-31T15:22:03Z")
> [@solost](#): > > …Per the Ryan example, he wasn’t forced out until about a good year and a half after trump’s election, whereas Graham’s conversion was almost instantly after the election… I don’t think that’s right. While his friend and Senate colleague - and Trump critic - John McCain was alive, Graham was not the Trump fan he later became, at least not publicly. As I recall, Graham drank the Trump Kool-Aid very soon after McCain’s death in Aug. 2018. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537.md?page=65)