BIZARRE BREAKING NEWS STORY IN THE "NEW YORK TIMES." LETS START WHERE I THINK THE STORY STARTS. I WILL STAND CORRECTED IF IT STARTS SOMEWHERE DEEPER AND WEIRDER THAN THIS. AS FAR AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, THE STORY STARTS IN SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA. CENTRAL FLORIDA, ORLANDO METRO AREA, NAEFT FROM THERE TOWARDS THE SPACE COAST. FOR REASONS UNKNOWN TO MEN, IN SOEM NOLL COUNTY IN THE 2016 ELECTION, VOTERS IN THEIR INFINITE WISDOM DECIDED TO REPLACE THEIR COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR WITH THIS YOUNG MAN, 31 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME HE WAS ELECTED, NO PRIOR RECORD OF PUBLIC SERVICE. AND WE NOW KNOW FROM AUDITS AND INVESTIGATIONS THAT HE REALLY HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AS SOON AS HE WON THAT OFFICE IN 2016 AND WAS SWORN IN IN 2017. ONE GLIMPSE OF HOW THIS IS GOING. THE GUY, YOUNG MAN, FIRST TIME IN PUBLIC SERVICE, 31 YEARS OLD WHEN ELECT THE, HE HAD JUST BEEN MARRIED A COUPLE OF MONTHS BEFORE HE WAS ELECTED. HE WAS MARRIED MID-2016. AFTER HE WON THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2016 AND GOT SWORN IN IN EARLY 2017, HE APPARENTLY HIRED AND STARTED TO PAY WITH PUBLIC FUNDS SIX DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN PART OF HIS WEDDING PARTY THE PREVIOUS YEAR. I AM NOT SURE THATS HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO STAFF UP THE TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE. AN INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT HE ISSUED $1.9 MILLION IN CONTRACTS FROM HIS OFFICE TO PEOPLE WHO WERE HIS OWN CLOSE FRIENDS AND BUSINESS PARTNERS. AGAIN, THIS IS THE TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE. A COUNTY AUDIT FOUND THAT FOR SOME REASON WITHIN MONTHS OF TAKING OFFICE HE STARTED SPENDING PUBLIC MONEY FOR THAT OFFICE ON GUNS AND AMMUNITION AND BODY ARMOR AND DRONES. THE TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE IN SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA, NEEDS DRONES? OKAY. ALSO, BY JUNE 2017, SO STILL ONLY IN OFFICE A FEW MONTHS, HE PROCLAIMED THAT HE AND HIS EMPLOYEES IN THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE WOULD HENCEFORTH ALL BE CARRYING GUNS. HE WANTED THEM TO WEAR THEIR GUNS AT WORK. TO GO ALONG WITH THEIR TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE BAJS. THIS IS LIKE THE OFFICE THAT COLLECTS LICENSE FEES AND STUFF. THIS IS NOT LIKE SOME S.W.A.T. TEAM AGENCY WITH FRONTLINE WYATT EARPS OUT THERE DEFENDING THE STREETS. BUT THE GUY ELECTED TO THAT OFFICE AFTER HIRING HIS GROOMSMEN TO COME IN AND RUN THE PLACE BUYS ALL THESE GUNS AND BODY ARMOR AND AMMO AND DRONES, TELLS EVERYBODY IN THE OFFICE THEY NEED TO WEAR GUNS AT WORK TO GO ALONG WITH THEIR BADGES? WHY DID HE WANT THAT? I DONT KNOW FOR SURE. WITHIN A FEW SHORT MONTHS HE I WONDER WHAT THE DRONE MIGHT HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT WHETHER SHE REALLY HAD BEEN SPEEDING. BUT IT GETS BETTER. THERE IS ALSO THE PART WHERE WHILE WORKING FULL TIME AS THE ELECTED TAX COLLECTOR FOR THAT COUNTY, HE SET UP A FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS INSIDE THE TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE TO DO BLOCKCHAIN SOMETHING, SOMETHING. WHAT WAS THE COMPANY ACTUALLY GOING TO DO? IT DOES NOT MATTER. HE SET UP A PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT COMPANY, RUNNING IT FROM INSIDE THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE AND IN SETTING UP THAT PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT COMPANY HE DECIDED HE NEEDED $65,000 IN BRAND-NEW COMPUTER SERVERS TO RUN HIS NEW PRIVATE COMPANY AND THEN HE BILLED THE COUNTY FOR THOSE COMPUTER SERVERS. JUST TO PUT ONLY ICING ON THIS ON THIS PARTICULAR PART OF THE CAKE, THE AUDIT FOUND THAT WHEN HE INSTALLED THOSE SERVERS THAT HE BILLED TO THE TAXPAYERS, WHEN HE INSTALLED THOSE SERVERS FOR THE PRIVATE COMPANY HE WAS GOING TO RUN, HE INSTALLED THEM WRONG AND THEREBY SET THE OFFICE ON FIRE. TA-DA! SO SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR A NEW PUBLIC OFFICIAL IN THE 2016 ELECTIONS. ALONG THE WAY, THE ORLANDO SENTINAL REPORTED ON HIS FREQUENT ANTI-MUSLIM SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS AND HIS POSTS POSING WITH FAR-RIGHT WHITE NATIONALIST TYPES, HE ENDED UP POSTING THINGS ONLINE ABOUT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH PRESIDENT TRUMPS LONG-TIME POLITICAL ADVISOR AND CONVICTED FELON ROGER STONE WHO YOU SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN THERE AS WELL AS THE TRUMPIEST OF ALL TRUMP TRUMPPY CONGRESSMAN, MATT GAETZ. WHERE THINGS GET ROUGH FOR THE SEMINOLE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR IS JUNE OF LAST YEAR. FEDERAL AGENTS COME TO HIS HOUSE TO ARREST HIM FOR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, ALLEGEDLY STALKING A LOCAL MAN WHO WAS GOING TO RUN AGAINST HIM FOR COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR. YEAH, HOW DARE ANYONE RUN AGAINST HIM FOR TAX COLLECTOR WHEN OUR HERO WAS DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB IN THAT OFFICE. HAVE YOU SEEN THE WAY THEY WEAR THEIR GUNS NOW? TO TRY TO DERAIL THE CAMPAIGN, THE TAX COLLECTOR GUY ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS ARRANGED FOR A FALSE RAPE ACQUISITION TO BE MADE AGAINST THE MAN WHICH WAS THEN SENT TO THE SCHOOL AT WHICH THE GUY WORKED. THE SAME ALLEGATION WAS THEN HYPED AND CIRCULATED BY A NETWORK OF FAKE IDENTITY SOCIAL MEDIA BOTS AND ACCOUNTS APPARENTLY CONTROLLED BY A LOCAL GUY FROM THE PROUD BOYS AND ASSOCIATED WITH LONGER STONE. HE ALSO CREATED A FAKE TWITTER ACCOUNT IN THE FAMENAME OF THE G RUNNING AGAINST HIM AND FALSELY POSTED THINGS ON THAT TWITTER ACCOUNT IN WHICH HE WAS CLAIMING TO BE THE GUY RUNNING AGAINST HIM AND ALSO CLAIMING TO BE A PROUD SEGREGATIONIST AND A WHITE SUPREMACIST. BUT IT WAS ALL FAKE. IT WAS THE TAX COLLECTOR GUY WHO SET UP THIS TWITTER ACCOUNT. IT WAS A HIT JOB. ALL SET UP BY OUR HERO, THE ARMED TO THE TEETH FIRE-SETTING WEDDING PARTY-HIRING TAX COLLECTOR OF SEMINOLE COUNTY. FEDERAL AGENTS SHOW UP AT HIS HOUSE LAST SUMMER TO ARREST HIM ON THE STALKING CHARGES AND THINGS GET WORSE BECAUSE WHAT DO THEY FIND WHEN THEY COME TO ARREST HIM AT HIS HOUSE? I WILL READ IT FROM "THE ORLANDO SENTINEL." THE KAY HE WAS INDICTED FOR TALKING A LITTLE RIVAL, JOEL GREENBERG HAD SEVERAL STOLEN I.D.s IN HIS WORK VEHICLE, A PAIR OF FAKE I.D.s IN HIS WALLET, AND MATERIALS FOR MAKING MORE IN HIS OFFICE. EVIDENCE HE WAS REGULARLY ABUSING HIS POSITION TO STEAL UNWITTING CONSTITUENTS IDENTITIES, ACCORDING TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES. INSIDE THE TAX COLLECTORS WORK VEHICLE AGENTS FOUND HIS BACKPACK WHICH HELD THREE LICENSES FROM CANADA, VIRGINIA, AND FLORIDA BELONGING TO SEMINOLE COUNTY RESIDENTS WHO RECENTLY OBTAINED NEW FLORIDA LICENSES. EMPLOYEES TOLD AGENTS THEY HAD TO PROSECUTORS, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FALSIFY CONCEALED FIREARMS PERMITS AS WELL? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY THINGS COULD GO WRONG ALL AT ONCE IF YOU JUST ELECTED THE WRONG GUY TAX COLLECTOR OF ALL THINGS? WHO KNEW WHAT MISCHIEF COULD BE MADE OUT OF A SINGLE JOB LIKE THAT. BUT THAT ORLANDO SENTINEL HEADLINE ABOUT HIM STEALING PEOPLES I.D.s ALLEGEDLY THROUGH HIS LAST DAY IN OFFICE, THAT RAN IN "THE ORLANDO SENTINEL" IN JULY. BY THE FOLLOWING MONTH, BY AUGUST, FEDERAL OFFICIALS HAD GONE THROUGH THE COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES THEY SEIZED FROM HIM DURING THAT ARREST AND WHAT THEY FOUND, ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS ON THOSE ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND COMPUTERS, WOULD YIELD DARKER HEADLINES BY THE FOLLOWING MONTH, PLUS A SUPERCEDING FEDERAL INDICTMENT FOR HIM. BY AUGUST OF LAST YEAR, THIS WAS THE HEADLINE IN THE"THE ORLANDO SENTINEL." FORMER SEMINOLE TAX COLLECTOR FACING SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES. QUOTE, JOEL GREENBERG IS FACING SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES RELATED TO A GIRL BETWEEN THE AGES OF 14 AND 17 AND IS ALSO ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY USING A STATE DATABASE TO LOOK UP INFORMATION ABOUT THE GIRL AND OTHER PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE WAS ENGAGED IN, QUOTE, SUGAR DADDY RELATIONSHIPS, ACCORDING TO AN INDICTMENT FILED FRIDAY BY THE U.S. ATTORNEYS OFFICE. THE FORMER SEMINOLE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR USED HIS ACCESS AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL TO A STATE DATABASE TO LOOK UP INFORMATION ABOUT THE MINOR VICTIM. THE DATE BASE IS THE FLORIDA DRIVER AND VEHICLE INFORMATION DATABASE. HE ALLEGEDLY LOOKED UP INFORMATION ABOUT THE GIRL IN THAT DATABASE, INCLUDING HER PHOTO AND DRIVER I.D. NUMBER. HE ALSO, ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT, USED THE DATABASE TO LOOK UP OTHER PEOPLE WITH WHOM HE WAS, QUOTE, ENGAGED IN SUGAR DADDY RELATIONSHIPS. THATS THE PHRASE USED IN THE INDICTMENT. THE ORLANDO SENTINEL POINTS OUT, QUOTE, A SUGAR DADDY REFERS TO A WEALTHY MAN WHO DATES A YOUNGER WOMAN AND GIVES HER GIFTS IN EXCHANGE FOR COMPANIONSHIP OR SEX. AGAIN, THE ALLEGED VICTIM HERE IS A TEENAGE GIRL. PER "THE ORLANDO SENTINEL," GREENBERG USED THE STATE DATE BASE FOR PROHIBITED PURPOSES, INCLUDING TO PRODUCE A FALSE IT STARTS OFF WEIRD AND GET WEIRD AND DARK IN SOME WAYS, BUT THEN ENDS UP IN THIS TERRIBLE PLACE, RIGHT? CHARGES OF SEX TRAFFICKING OF A CHILD. NOW, THE TAX COLLECTOR GUY QUIT HIS JOB AFTER HE WAS ARRESTED. HE PLED NOT GUILTY TO ALL OF THE 14 FEDERAL CHARGES HE IS FACING, INCLUDING THE SEX TRAFFICKING OF A CHILD CHARGES. HE WAS OUT ON BAIL AFTER HE WAS CHARGED LAST SUMMER BUT LAST MONTH THE JUDGE OVERSEEING HIS CASE JAILED HIM FOR VIOLATING THE TERMS OF HIS BAIL. SO HE IS NOW IN JAIL AND SCHEDULED TO GO ON TRIAL IN FLORIDA IN JUNE. SO, I KNOW. HAPPY TUESDAY. YUCK, THIS EXISTS, IM SORRY. BUT NOW TONIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE. "NEW YORK TIMES" WE GET THE NATIONAL KICK IN THE TEETH THAT COMES WITH THIS STORY. THIS THE HEADLINE ON THE FRONT PAGE. FLORIDA CONGRESSMAN MATT GAETZ IS SAID TO BE INVESTIGATED OVER POSSIBLE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GIRL AGE 17. QUOTE, REPRESENTATIVE MATT GAETZ REPUBLICAN OF FLORIDA AND A CLOSS ALLY OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OVER WHETHER HE HAD A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A 17-YEAR-OLD AND PAID FOR HER TO TRAVEL WITH HIM ACCORDING TO THREE PEOPLE BRIEFED IN THE MATTER. INVESTORS ARE WHETHER HE VIOLATED FELLER FEDERAL SEX TRAFFICKING LAWS, A VARIETY OF FEDERAL STATUTES MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO INDUCE SOMEONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 TO TRAVEL OVER STATE LINES TO ENGAGE IN SEX IN EXCHANGE FOR MONEY OR SOMETHING OF VALUE OF THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REGULARLY PROSECUTES SUCH CASES AND OFFENDERS OFTEN RECEIVE SEVERE SENTENCES. IT WAS NOT CLEAR HOW CONGRESSMAN GAETS MET THE GIRL, BELIEVED TO BE 17 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME OF ENCOUNTER. THE INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED IN THE FINAL MONTHS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNDER ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR. GIVEN THE CONGRESSMANS PROFILE, SENIOR JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS IN D.C., INCLUDING
SOME APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT SOME APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP, WERE NOTIFIED OF THE INVESTIGATION. THE EXAMINATION IS PART OF A BROADER INVESTIGATION INTO A POLITICAL ALLY OF HIS, A LOCAL OFFICIAL IN FLORIDA NAMED JOEL GREENBERG, THE SEMINOLE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR, WHO WAS INDICTED LAST SUMMER ON AN ARRAY OF CHARGES, INCLUDING SEX TRAFFICKING OF A CHILD AND FINANCIALLY SUPPORTING PEOPLE IN EXCHANGE FOR SEX. AT LEAST ONE OF WHOM WAS AN UNDERAGED GIRL. MR. GREENBERG, WHO RESIGNED HIS
The irony that republicans railed against Democrat "cabals" for the same actions they keep getting caught doing is insane.