Spotted in the skies around the Orlando Federal Court this morning -
Video -
Why, you ask?
Joel Greenberg, a former Seminole County, FL tax collector, pleaded guilty to 6 of 33 charges, in return for cooperation with prosecutors, but he is still facing the mandatory minimum prison sentence of 12 years. The other charges will be dismissed.
Gaetz not named yet; names will get exposed in due time as Greenberg “cooperates” as part of the plea agreement.
Here is the full 86-page plea agreement —
According to Kirschner, a majority of the plea agreement contains "hard corroboration" of the crimes "of not only Joel Greenberg but the crimes of others," adding that the prosecution has laid out "some really troubling crimes."
A thread from someone who attended the hearing -
The usual political spin by Gaetz spokesperson. Greenberg apparently pleaded guilty to falsely accusing a political rival of being a pedophile, a teacher named Brian Beute.
Greenberg attorney Fritz Scheller, not answering the big question -
Here is some insightful analysis and background on the story, which goes far beyond the sex trafficking crimes -
One source told this writer that he has heard multiple local G.O.P. officials say they expect dozens of indictments to arrive before Memorial Day, in just one example of the wild speculation underway in central Florida. “The entire party is on edge,” the source said. “Everybody is guessing who has exposure based on reporting, and also the things they are hearing behind the scenes. Someone said they think there will be between 24-36 indictments.”
This writer surmises that federal investigators are trying to get their arms around a political corruption scenario as complex as it appears ubiquitous. Greenberg’s ties to Engels; Engels’ ties to smear campaigns; Greenberg’s discussions with Stone; expansive schemes to sabotage or siphon votes from Democratic candidates—and that list doesn’t even cover human trafficking and drug allegations, or reported bribery probes involving Rep. Gaetz and others, or Greenberg’s misspending of taxpayer money.
The Remove Ron group is focused on removing despicable Ron DeSantis (and Marco Rubio) from office.
Will GOP lawmakers do anything about this? Let’s not hold our breath. They will simply go on the offense attacking Biden and Democrats for … whatever. They will raise money off their cash-challenged base. They will play victim. They don’t care. They are on a crusade to change the country into a theocratic oligarchy. Their eyes right now are on SCOTUS and Arizona. Let’s keep our eye on the ball as well and keep attacking Republicans — with the Truth. This story is not just about Gaetz, it is a story about the entire republican establishment, for whom power trumps basic human principles, lies and deceptions squelch truth and as for sex trafficking and corruption — IOKIYAR.
How do you think this story will play out? How can we take advantage of this story of sexual perversion and corruption in republican politics to help win elections and to throw the monsters out?