# Matt Gaetz being investigated for sex with 17 year old girl (DOJ declines to charge 2023-02-15) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 30, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052 "2021-03-30T22:13:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/324 "2021-04-13T17:39:35Z")
Segueing back to the actual subject of this thread, one of the best headlines I’ve seen about his predicament: > **[Report: Matt Gaetz Permanently Sewed His Lips to Trump’s Ass for Nothing](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/matt-gaetz-donald-trump-cold-shoulder)** > > The Florida Congressman branded himself Donald Trump’s biggest defender. The ex-president has not returned the favor. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/325 "2021-04-13T17:48:48Z")
Everyone says she’s ‘Luckey’ but I’m having a hard time believing it myself. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/326 "2021-04-13T17:51:42Z")
I knew a guy who said that he got her. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/327 "2021-04-13T18:27:48Z")
My personal feeling is that there was also the fact that Rep. John Conyers was also facing some pretty serious allegations at the time. Dems didn’t feel like they could force the black guy (Conyers) out while letting the white guy (Franken) stay, even though the underlying accusations in Franken’s were far less serious than those made against Conyers. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/328 "2021-04-13T19:13:31Z")
**Modnote** : Again, please drop sidebar issues about Graham. This thread is not about him at all. see the earlier modnote please. > [@Matt Gaetz being investigated for sex with 17 year old girl (DOJ declines to charge 2023-02-15)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl/939052/315): > > Modnote: For all. Now please drop the Sen. Graham discussion. This has less to do with Gaetz than Cuomo even. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/329 "2021-04-14T14:22:02Z")
> **[Women detail drug use, sex and payments after late-night parties with Gaetz...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/politics/gaetz-parties-women-drug-use-sex-payments/index.html)** > > The first thing some of the women were asked to do when they got to the house parties in the gated community in suburban Orlando was to put away their cellphones, according to two women in attendance who spoke to CNN in recent days. The men inside, a... ---
**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:** [April 16, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/330 "2021-04-16T16:58:44Z")
Color me unsurprised: [House GOP leader: Won't punish Gaetz unless charges filed](https://www.aol.com/news/house-gop-leader-wont-punish-175227598-215753626.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/331 "2021-04-16T17:15:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Color me unsurprised: [House GOP leader: Won’t punish Gaetz unless charges filed](https://www.aol.com/news/house-gop-leader-wont-punish-175227598-215753626.html) I’m not sure I have a problem with that. Please note the “not sure” part 😉. But accusations of impropriety, even with mountains of circumstantial evidence\*, arguably shouldn’t be enough to sanction a congressman. If all he did was be a legal fucking sleazeball, fair enough. I’m not really in favor of punishing someone on perceptions of immorality, even of the super-hypocritical variety - that leads to Moral Majority bullshit. Let his constituency toss him if they have the gumption. On the other hand, I hope the authorities are able to get Greenberg to sell Gaetz out and nail his ass to the wall. He seems to be a nasty little weasel all the way around. \*Though this is where I’m most unsure. At some point maybe the mountains of circumstantial evidence is enough to at least kick him from committees and whatnot. I’m a bit conflicted on that one. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/332 "2021-04-16T17:24:42Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > If all he did was be a legal fucking sleazeball, fair enough. Committee positions are honors, and give power to the committee members. Steve King lost his committee assignments when his white supremacist views became too much for the Republican leadership to stomach. White supremacist views are not illegal. If nothing else, we do know that Gaetz was showing lewd pictures of his lady friends on the House floor. This creates a hostile work environment and also shows terrible judgement on his part. Seems sufficient all by itself to kick him off the committees. Cite: [https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/01/politics/matt-gaetz-photos-women/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/01/politics/matt-gaetz-photos-women/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/333 "2021-04-16T17:27:47Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Seems sufficient all by itself to kick him off the committees. Not for today’s Republicans. Being a complete sleazeball is a feature, not a bug. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/334 "2021-04-16T17:29:40Z")
Off topic, but who is that pictured in your avatar? ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/335 "2021-04-16T17:31:26Z")
As far as I know all the allegations made against Gaetz are from anonymous sources. I’m not in favor of sanctioning politicians for anonymous allegations, even a putz like Gaetz. Steve King’s comments were on public record so I was in complete support of that. As soon as the allegations against Gaetz are made public than hammer him. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/336 "2021-04-16T17:33:10Z")
> **[Richard Feynman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Richard Phillips Feynman (/ˈfaɪnmən/; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as his work in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman rece... ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/337 "2021-04-16T17:37:13Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/338 "2021-04-16T20:14:38Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Committee positions are honors, and give power to the committee members. Steve King lost his committee assignments when his white supremacist views became too much for the Republican leadership to stomach. White supremacist views are not illegal. > > If nothing else, we do know that Gaetz was showing lewd pictures of his lady friends on the House floor. This creates a hostile work environment and also shows terrible judgement on his part. Seems sufficient all by itself to kick him off the committees. Guess I can’t really argue with that 🙂 . It’s the second paragraph that I think cinches it. Just being a frat boy douchebag doesn’t really rise to the level of white supremacist in my mind. But I agree that showing off his lewd conquests in his workplace is good enough for a sanction. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/339 "2021-04-16T20:18:16Z")
I’ll note this day as the first time I’ve convinced anyone of anything on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/340 "2021-04-16T21:30:58Z")
The wisdom of Richard Feynman has entered your body… ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/341 "2021-04-17T01:33:16Z")
In one easy piece. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/342 "2021-04-17T04:07:15Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > As far as I know all the allegations made against Gaetz are from anonymous sources. They’re anonymous to us, they’re not anonymous to the House GOP. The GOP could presumably conduct an internal investigation and talk to the lawmakers who are claiming Gaetz showed them photos and make a private determination. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052/343 "2021-04-17T04:36:10Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > or diverts to Seeking Arrangements or something like that. In my view, SD/SB is sex work. Okay, I’m an advocate on sex work being legalized, but it doesn’t belong on dating sites. Okay, but… in the specific case of Seeking Arrangement, isn’t the POINT of the website that it’s for people, well, seeking those arrangements? Why would that irritate you? Just don’t go on that site. Are there a lot of people on actual dating sites like Match or eHarmony trying to get you to go to a place like Seeking Arrangement? You should report those profiles I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-gaetz-being-investigated-for-sex-with-17-year-old-girl-doj-declines-to-charge-2023-02-15/939052.md?page=18)