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On CNN Tuesday, analyst Gloria Borger tore into Sen. Marco Rubio for refusing to comment on the Matt Gaetz scandal to correspondent Manu Raju — and the Republican Party generally for seeming to take a vow of silence on the matter.
"There is this reporting from The New York Times about cooperation between this Gaetz associate, said to be cooperating with the Justice Department," said anchor Anderson Cooper. "Except for Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Republicans have been largely quiet when it comes to commenting on Gaetz's future. Nobody wants to weigh in on this. Marco Rubio, when asked whether he backs Gaetz, said, I don't know anything about the case. You can only keep that up for so long."
"Right," said Borger. "And look, I think when I hear Marco Rubio, it takes me back a few years to hearing Republicans over and over again say, oh, I didn't read that tweet by Donald Trump, I don't know much about this, I can't comment on it. The irony is that Matt Gaetz is not a popular person on Capitol Hill. They don't like him. But Donald Trump has been sort of tepid in response to the Gaetz thing, saying he's denying, denying and what is being played out is the Trump playbook that, effectively, Republicans learned you can deny anything until there is some disposition one way or another in the Justice Department case. So Republicans are hanging back."
"The only person who called the charges 'sickening' is Liz Cheney of Wyoming," added Borger, "and she wouldn't comment any further, but you'll recall that Gaetz went to her district to campaign against her after she said that Donald Trump should be out of office."
Watch below:
Gloria Borger on Marco Rubio's refusal to discuss Matt Gaetz scandal www.youtube.com
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Will Donald Trump's new social media platform follow the infamous rule he tried to eliminate for Twitter and Facebook?
April 13, 2021
It was revealed this week that President Donald Trump and his allies are moving forward with a social media site where he has the freedom to say what he wants. While the open site Parler would gladly accept his participation, Trump appears to want to invest in his own option.
Large GOP donors see it as a way to own "big tech" after so many on the right have been banned from their sites, said a CNBC report.
According to former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the Trump platform is "going to give [Trump] the opportunity to control not only the distribution of it, but also who participates in it." It makes it sound as if the forum won't be a place for free expression like Parler. Instead, it sounds more like a marketing app where Trump can raise more money, said the Inquisitr.
The main question, however, is whether Trump will use the infamous law that he tried to change while in office that allows people to sue social media companies for what is on their platforms.
Trump was so furious about Section 230 in the Communications Decency Act that he threatened to veto the entire Defense Department spending bill if Congress didn't eliminate it. His efforts failed.
"…..Therefore, if the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill when sent to the very beautiful Resolute desk. Take back America NOW. Thank you!" Trump tweeted on Dec. 2, 2020.
He even went on to falsely call it a "serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity." Unsurprisingly, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) joined Trump in the crusade.
So, the question becomes, will Trump's new social media site have a terms of service that eliminates Section 230 for their site in particular? Or will the site continue to utilize Section 230 as a preemptive strike against litigation as Trump complained Twitter and Facebook do?
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'Who?': Republicans respond to questions about developments in Matt Gaetz's legal troubles
April 13, 2021
Republicans are starting to respond to questions from the press about Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and allegations that he was involved in a sex trafficking scandal with a former Republican tax collector.
In recent news, it was revealed that Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg has been cooperating with the Justice Department since last year on issues involving Gaetz. Greenberg has since agreed to plead guilty to charges against him, leading many to believe there was a plea agreement that involved Gaetz. Greenberg's lawyer made it clear, "I'm sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today."
In a Politico report Tuesday, Republican officials either dodged questions, denied knowing anything about the accusations or employed the "wait and see" approach.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), for example, was one Republican who dodged, saying that he didn't "want to be drawn into talking about that."
By contrast, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), pretended not to know anything about it, saying he must see "what the facts are" before he could comment. Yet, he made it clear he did know the details when he explained there haven't "been any formal DOJ action yet," then claimed, "obviously we're watching it close." So much for not knowing "what the facts are."
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took the "I don't know," approach as well, according to questions from CNN's Manu Raju.
Marco Rubio told me “I don’t know anything about the case” when asked if he stands by fellow FL Republican, Matt Ga… https://t.co/dAXAE2c5xS— Manu Raju (@Manu Raju)1618354649.0
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), on the other hand, is hedging his bets, calling the allegations "serious," but refusing to say what should happen to Gaetz if he is indicted. "We will deal with everything as they come."
But one of the most amusing came from an unnamed Republican asked by reporters to respond in the hallway.
"Who?" the lawmaker joked.
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