Few more details in this interview. Seems the extortion attempt may be real, but the investigation pre-dates by several months, and the person he named as his blackmailer was not involved in any way:
No surprise after all the BS about pedo Democrats spewing from the right wingers. More projection than a 12 screen multiplex.
Dennis Hastert was blackmailed.
He was also guilty as hell.
Gaetz appears on FOX news to clear his name. Somehow fucks it up so bad that he implicates Tucker and basically gets disowned:
ETA: Note that the disown is after Bryan’s summary, at 6:47
I like the whole, “well, yep, that IS a story… not sure WHAT it is, but it’s a story…” bit, Carlson being just as WTF as the viewers.
And ya see, if Gaetz had been from South Florida, at least then he’d have access to good, quality-controlled drugs. ‘cause whatever that boy’s on it’s not doin’ him good.
You know, he does deny the entire story. And even though we know he’s lying and he’s a giant pile of crap we still need to pretend that he’s innocent until proven guilty which undoubtedly is going to happen because he’s a slimeball and absolutely did it. But still, let’s be fair to this piece of garbage rapist.
I was a little surprised it was a girl. He makes my gaydar go ring-a-ding-ding. Another sleazeball from the party of family values. Color me shocked.
Fair? Sure, in the court of law.
In the court of opinion? Fuck that.
You mean the single guy who doesn’t appear to have a decent bone in his body who secretly adopts Cuban teenage boy story rings odd to you? Also, this teenage boy Gaetz met while he was dating the boy’s sister. All seems totally legit to me.
Oh, lordy, I’d actually forgotten about that. Gaetz’s story just gets progressively weirder and weirder.
I know its WAY old fashioned…but there is a reason a respectable woman isn’t supposed to take any substantial gifts from anyone she isn’t engaged to, married to, or related to. (To be less old fashioned - or otherwise committed to - a live in partner, for instance). Because the line between “paid to sleep with someone” and “I’ll pay for a car for you and your vacations, and some clothes, and rent” is somewhat grey.
The $25 million makes no sense. The Gaetz family has money, yes, but not that kind of cash.
This isn’t the first time he’s gotten into potential political trouble regarding his interest in younger women. From a 2019 mother Jones article.
There is one thing Gaetz would prefer to keep out of the media: his love life. Two years ago, a former staffer sent him a blunt text message about a 21-year-old woman Gaetz was dating, who would later become a Democratic congressional intern, urging him to ask the woman to delete photos of him from her Instagram account. The staffer wrote, “Don’t be surprised if many of the conservatives and competitors, like Cris Dosev in Florida CD1, may frown upon her sexually explicit images, her videos showcasing her multiple capabilities to smoke weed, and her flagrant application of language as antithetical to the values of Northwest Florida.”
Gaetz declined multiple requests from Mother Jones for an interview, but one day, out of the blue, he called to beg me not to identify the women he’s dated. “I am pleading with you not to identify them,” he said. “Identifying puts them at risk.” Gaetz said he gets death threats “from the same demographic of people who shot up the Republican baseball game.” He added, “I’m not a monk. I’m just a congressman.”
That quote is quite telling. To him “I’m not a monk” excuses being an amoral D-bag. Whereas in real life, there is a vast spectrum of lifestyles between “monk” and amoral D-bag. And he seems to lack an understanding that being a congressman SHOULD push one toward a wee bit more probity.
The sooner we are all rid of him the better. Unfortunately, he is young and has established himself in the Right-Wing-sphere, so they will probably forgive and forget and elevate him further in the future, as they are wont to do. Pity that.
I say we change Florida’s welcome signs to this 
In reply to this:
There’s no age that you can’t be sexy.
Shocked, shocked I am that People Magazine’s 3-time winner of the annual “Most Similar In Appearance to Butt-Head” award might see women as sex objects.
Jesus God, who talks like that? Who are these people?
Republicans.
Read between the lines though. Plenty of guests come on to Tucker’s show and talk absolute horseshit, and Tucker never feels the need to make an ad hoc disclaimer.
This was not a “WTF are you talking about?”
It was a “WTF do you think you’re doing coming on my show, and implicating me!?”
Hard to blackmail somebody who isn’t guilty of something.