Gaetz And Greene Get Gaffed
Before we let Matt Gaetz ride off into the sunset, it is fair to mention that Gaetz, along with his bomb-throwing partner in slime, Marjorie Taylor Greene, are now being tapped for a cool $547,800 to compensate six separate public entities’ lawyers for defending them in a frivolous lawsuit brought by the pair in federal court here in California.
The story, largely going unnoticed in most other areas of the nation, is here at the Law and Crime website.
Back during the pandemic, Gaetz and Green were hosting MAGAniferous events in cities from coast to coast.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., raise their arms after addressing attendees of a rally, Friday, May 7, 2021, in The Villages, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
They had lots to talk about, what with the ongoing Big Lie brouhaha that brought in MAGAheads with empty minds and open wallets for an evening of grift and treachery.
Even here. But California isn’t a blue monolith. It is a red/blue mixture with blue counties squeezed in along the more populous coastline and red counties everywhere else.
Especially in Orange and Riverside Counties.
The duo contracted with Anaheim, known for Disneyland and The John Birch Society, and the City of Riverside to hold their events.
“Not so fast,” the NAACP, LULAC, the League of Women Voters, Unidos Por La Causa, the Riverside Democratic Party, and Women’s March Action seemed to say. “This isn’t a fact-free zone like you have back home.” And they protested the meetings. They did it so well that both Anaheim and Riverside decided to opt out.
Gaetz and Greene cried foul and sued the cities, a business, and the 6 above-named groups under a 153-year-old law (42 U.S.C. § 1985), the so-called Ku Klux Klan Act, meant to keep the KKK from conspiring to interfere with civil rights. That was just too clever by half. And wouldn’t you know it, their lawyer, you may have heard of, was John Eastman. Eastman is currently in the process of losing his license to practice law in The Golden State.
The Biden-appointed judge (i.e., one of the good ones), Judge Hernan Vera, thought they were justified in suing the cities and the business, but including the 6 protesting nonprofits was a step too far: their conspiracy theory relied purely on conjecture, a known “hard fact” among the MAGA-prone, but a non-starter with everyone else.
So Vera dismissed the protest groups from the suit and allowed that it would be good if the two sides just took care of their own costs and attorney’s fees.
But that didn’t work for the protest groups. They went back to the judge with the argument that they shouldn’t be punished simply because they were exercising their 1st Amendment rights. The judge agreed and this week put Gaetz and Greene on the hook for all six of the groups’ lawyers’ fees.
So that’s $273,900 each to Marge and Matt. My guess is that they’re going to fight it because that’s what MAGAs do. My free advice to both is to fundraise on the issue. After all, according to the election totals we’ve seen so far, PT Barnum horribly underestimated the basic rate at which suckers are born.
I think you miss the big point, which is that leftists used the hecklers’ veto to thwart a legitimate political gathering.
1Harry Eagar says:
“legitimate political gathering”
I don’t know what defines legitimate political gathering anymore. Lies? Unsubstantiated conspiracy theories?
What was the result? An administration of criminals, billionaires, science deniers. Voters who are now asking Walmart, Target, etc why their CEOs didn’t mention before the election that tariffs would raise prices. They’re all mentioning it in their earnings calls last week, or on business talk shows.
2Think the judge got it right and boo hoo gaetz and greene. Go grift for money like your der leader does. Maybe musk will give you some moohla.
3A certain commenter here is starting to sound like a Russian troll working for drumpf, seriously.
4Yup.
5Can’t shed tear one for Marj and Matt. Anyone want to bet on Musk as a $$ savior for this pair? I bet he is just as cheesy as Orange Julius when it comes to parting with some pocket change to assist any Maga, even if they are NOT a lawyer. Its always gimme gimme gimme with that “elite”.
6Rick @ 2
Just about any meeting where people offer their political views is legitimate.
Among rare exceptions would be 1) armed gatherings in some jurisdictions; 2) masked meetings in states with antimasking laws. Perhaps a few others.
Real liberals believe in free speech.
7A-MEN! PT Barnum seriously underestimated the rate at which suckers are born, especially in the United States–although it may have increased substantially since the advent of FOX “News” and social media.
8Just gotta ask, because I think the judge got it right, does that mean I’m not a real liberal or am I a leftist now?
9Depends where you are regarding the hecklers’ veto.
100
The severance is not about that, but suppressing free speech is — or ought to be — an issue for liberals.
Not sure what the zero means but I stand by what I said. No need to answer, 0. Move on.
11The attempt to suppress free speech here was Gaetz and Green suing the NAACP, LULAC, the League of Women Voters, Unidos Por La Causa, the Riverside Democratic Party, and Women’s March Action for expressing their opinions. Those groups have the right to express their opinions. This right is guaranteed by the First Amendment. The judge got it right.
12Free speech is a funny thing isn’t it. There are legal avenues to address libel, slander and outright outrageous accusations of wrongdoing against yourself. But call it political speech and presto, it’s First Amendment protected. They’ve utilized that to the point of criminality IMHO, though I’ve got no clue how it’s be prosecuted. (Although we might see it in the next 4 years) But the complete dehumanization of their political enemies is just to be expected from magas now, and nobody bats an eye.
13Harry, you’re chain yanking again. Real liberals?
Is that kinda like real Americans? Real Christians? Real Men?
P.P. @ 13
If radical trumpers can pose as conservatives, surely radical leftists can pose as liberals.
That’s already happened. Shall I list the fascist nations supported by so-called American democracy: Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Greece . . . I could go on for quite a while.
14So these groups that expressed their opinions objecting to hate speach gaetz and mtg are we now radical leftists. So what exactly do you call gaetz and mtg? Fake conservatives or just magats?
15What Mike at 4 said and our chains are getting yanked. Not the first time here.
I’m a democrat. Not a dirty word. What are you?
Half Empty, look what you started. Just kidding. Love your writing.
That’s not what I said. I have written not one word about the severed groups.
If you want to criticize what I said, have at it. But don’t waste your time objecting to what I didn’t say.
16Oh, I apologize. I misinterpreted your first comment-
17“you miss the big point, which is that leftists used the hecklers’ veto to thwart a legitimate political gathering.” The term “leftists” to describe some Democrats just fooled with my mind.
My bad. I’m spitting your hook out.
OT. Looks like the threats and intimidation worked. Special boy wins again-
https://www.rawstory.com/jack-smith-trump-january-6/
18Word is Perjury Taylor Greene accepted job in Muskelid’s DOGE cabinet position which, I believe, means she has to resign congress seat. Hope it is true.
19And Smith also gives special boy a free pass on the documents he illegally absconded with to his Florida castle. Guessing next his 34 felony convictions for paying off a porn star to keep quiet during an election will also be thrown out. Pays to crime.
20Way off topic, and off earth.
I read about some guy I never heard of who paid $6.2 million for a work of art that consists of a real banana duct taped to canvas or board or something. The purchaser said he would eat the banana unless Elon Musk wants to send it into space.
That got me thinking. So much after the election could be improved if comments ended in that phrase:
MT Greene accepted a position in Elon Musk’s DOGE, unless Elon Musk wants to send her into space.
Since the election, Nazis were emboldened and marched through the streets of a town in Ohio. This may continue unless Elon Musk wants to send them into space.
Etc.
21And I saw that the one musk-o-terror wants to buy msnbc. Maybe he’ll broadcast from mars when he buys that. MTG can be the anchor. Send gaetz with her. I guess we could call them the 3 musk-o-terrors then.
22Rick @21, Not sure about that ‘banana’ meme, but the latest SpaceX Starship launch, IFT-6, launched from Boca Chica Beach Texas a couple of weeks ago actually carried a real banana suspended on a string in the otherwise empty cargo bay. I have the video (a minor part of the launch) I’m not sure what the deal was, some bet or something. It was strange seeing camera view of the hitech cargo bay with the banana dangling there in zero gravity. When the Starship gently landed in the Indian Ocean, tipped over, and burned, exploded, the banana went pah yah.
23Your next HHH cabinet nominee. I guess heroin helped him in school but didn’t stop brain worms.
24What else is in his closet.
https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-rfk-jr-says-heroin-helped-him-reach-top-his-class-1991956