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The Daily Beans
Ketchup On The News (feat. Dave Aronberg)
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Monday, December 30th, 2024 Today, Florida authorities say there’ll be no criminal charges against Matt Gaetz for statutory rape because the statute of limitations has expired; the Freedom From Religion Foundation published an anti-trans blog post and received swift backlash; former head of the FBI and CIA has penned a letter to senators asking them to block the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel; low income Trump voters are worried they’ll lose their benefits; President Biden has commuted almost all of the sentences of death row inmates; Elon Musk praises a far right neo-Nazi party in Germany as Twitter falls apart over his position on H1B visas; Biden is considering publishing the ERA as he wipes out more student debt and breaks Trump’s record for appointing judges; Maryland Governor Wes Moore receives his Bronze Star; a Republican Congresswoman has been found in a memory care facility; an HIV/AIDS camp for kids in Minnesota is closing its doors; and Allison delivers yo...
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- [00:00]
Alison Gill
MSW media thanks to AG1 for supporting the Daily Beans. It's the perfect time to start a new healthy habit, and that's why I've been partnering with AG1 for so long. AG1 is offering new subscribers a free $76 gift. When you sign up, you'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2 and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out drinkag1.com DailyBeans News we're swearing Jelly beans.
- [00:33]
Dave Aronberg
Jelly Beans. Daily Beans. Daily Beans.
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Alison Gill
Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. Today, Florida authorities say there will be no criminal charges against Matt Gaetz for statutory rape because the statute of limitations has expired. The Freedom From Religion foundation published an anti trans blog post and received swift backlash. Former head of the FBI and CIA has penned a letter to senators asking them to block the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel. Low income Trump voters are very worried that they'll lose their benefits. President Biden has commuted almost all of the sentences of death row inmates. Elon Musk praises a far right neo Nazi party in Germany as Twitter falls apart over his position on H1B visas. Biden is considering publishing the ERA as he wipes out more student debt and breaks Trump's record for appointing judges. Maryland Governor Wes Moore receives his Bronze Star, a Republican congresswoman has been found in a memory care facility, and an HIV AIDS camp for kids in Minnesota is closing its doors. I'm your host, Alison Gill. Hey everybody, it's ag. Welcome back from the week off for the holidays. Thanks to all our guests last week for their thoughtful discussions and providing content while we were away. There's a new episode of the Jack Podcast out and there's a new episode of cleanup on aisle 45 out, if you haven't listened yet. And Dana will be back in your ears tomorrow as she is wrapping up her holiday travel today. Later in the show I'll be joined by the outgoing Palm Beach County Prosecutor Dave Aronberg, and we're going to discuss the Matt Gaetz situation and and a big thanks to our patrons for supporting independent media. This podcast is always free, but if you're willing to kick in a few bucks a month, you can get this show ad free and early. You can get access to VIP meet and greets and meetups. You can get access to our Zoom Call Q and A happy hours, which are always very fun. And you also get like, I don't know, like a mug or shirt or some stickers. There's all sorts of stuff. Just head to patreon.com mueller she wrote to sign up. Again, we appreciate your support of independent media. You keep us on the air. We have tons of news to catch up on over this past week, so we have some quick hits. All right, first up, the Freedom From Religion foundation found itself in hot water this past weekend after honorary board member Jerry Coyne published a bigoted anti trans blog post on the foundation's Free Thought now website. Somewhat at FFRF gave him the green light to publish the post called Biology is Not Bigotry, yes it Is, which was nothing more than a pile of shit filled with right wing bigoted talking points against trans people. I'll spare you the details, but the backlash was swift. Evan Clark, executive director of Atheists United and former guest on FFRF's radio show, said, if you still support FFRF, I'd encourage you to pull your donations and talk to their leadership about the importance of trans rights in the battle against white Christian nationalism. David Williamson, co founder of the Central Florida Free Thought Community and invited speaker at an FFRF convention, said, quote, I wish Freedom from Religion foundation would leave the unscientific anti trans bigotry to the center for Inquiry. Debater Matt Dillahunty, I believe his name is Said, who's also appeared on a number of FFRF events, said he'd soon make a video about this, quote, embarrassing garbage, transphobic crap. So this pressure apparently worked because after one day, the FFRF removed Coyne's article from their website and posted a new one signed by CO presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, expressing their explicit support for the LGBTQIA community. But Coyne said that the FFRF CO president, Andy Laurie Gaylor, was the one who gave him the green light to write it. So bad. Look. Awful, awful article. The apology I think fell short. It was mostly bragging about all of their work for the LGBTQIA community. If you want to read the apology, you can go to the Freedom From Religion Foundation's website to check it out. But boy, publishing that article and giving it the green light. At least according to Coyne, the CO president did. What an awful, awful, horrible mistake. Next up, President Biden has been busy this past week. He commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates on death row, changing them to life in prison. Sentences the three men who remain on federal death row are Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in 2018 Dylann Roof, who killed nine people in a shooting at Historical Black church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 and one of the Boston Marathon bombers. Now. Biden also announced plans to cancel student debt for about 55,000 public sector workers as his administration pushes to zero out balances for more people in the final weeks of his administration. And the Senate confirmed two more of President Biden's nominees to the federal judiciary Friday, giving him the total of 235since he took office, which surpasses the number of judges approved for lifetime appointments during President elect Donald Trump's first term. Biden also signed 50 bills into law on Christmas Eve, including Paris Hilton's bill against child abuse, a bill protecting Native American children, a bill designating the bald eagle as the national bird, a bill cracking down on campus hazing, and a bill to end taxpayer funded pensions for members of Congress convicted of a crime related to public corruption. He also told Midas Touch in an interview, unprompted, that he's considering publishing the Equal Rights Amendment. Before the election. He did not want to publish this because he didn't want it to end up in the hands of this Supreme Court. But now, perhaps understanding the problems and issues and dangers that we face in the coming administration, he said he's working on it. So we'll see. I hope he does. Next up, Maryland governor Wes Moore, who faced scrutiny for claiming a Bronze Star he didn't receive, was awarded the honor belatedly in a private ceremony Friday. Republicans gave him a load of shit because he was awarded the Bronze Star but never received it and they claimed stolen valor so they can go fuck themselves. Wes Moore has his Bronze Star and Kate Granger, a Republican congresswoman from Texas and the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the most important committee in the House, was MIA for six months and turned up in a memory care facility. Steve Bennet writes for msnbc. A sitting member of Congress, instead of resigning, moved to an assisted living facility and simply stopped casting votes. As the New York Times report noted, her office chose not to disclose this arrangement to the public. And relatedly, there's been some discussion in recent days about the degree to which House Republican leaders might have been aware of this and deliberately chose to keep the information secret. A Fox News reporter quoted a senior GOP source who said, in reference to the party's wafer thin majority in the chamber, a wafer thin quote. Frankly, we needed the numbers, unquote. But as a Politico report added, there's also a broader conversation now underway related to the number of septuagenarians and octogenarians in Congress and the health challenges some of them have faced. All right, so those are the quick hits a little bit later in the show. Like I said, I'm really excited to talk to Dave Aronberg. You get to hear me criticize Merrick Garland, something I know, I know that you're all wondering if I ever do, but I do and I have and I will again, particularly with the fact that no witness tampering charges were brought despite having a recording of Matt Gaetz witness tampering. According to the House Ethics Committee report, the DOJ had that recording. And this is all under Merrick Garland and Joe Biden's U.S. attorney. So something I'm against, something that I disagree with, and we will talk about that. But we do have hot notes to get to. There's still more news, but let's take a quick break before that. So everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey everybody, it's ag. It is very easy to get distracted during the holiday season with family dinners, company parties, sugary treats. I don't even know what day it is. But before you know it, you lose track of all your wellness plans. You spend the rest of the winter trying to catch up and get back on track. And staying healthy is really important to me. That's why I started using AG1. It is such an easy habit to pick up, so I've been able to hold it through this whole season even though I don't know what day it is. It's got probiotics, prebiotics, adaptogens. AG1 supports my digestion and energy levels, something that's been extra beneficial during this busy time of year. And I've also noticed significant improvement in how I feel every day. Less bloating, more focus, steady energy to power through the holiday travel in the late nights. It has been such a benefit to my life. I make sure all my friends and loved ones know the benefits I receive from AG1. The travel packs make it easy to stay on track too. I always have them in my bag. So whether I'm catching up with friends over the holidays, flying across the country, my health routine doesn't falter. But my go to is mixing it with ice cold water. It's crisp, it's convenient, and it sets my day in motion. And as I approach the new year, I'm eager to build on the improvements I've seen. AG1 keeps my energy high, supports my gut health, very important, helping me stick to my goals. It's more than just a supplement It's a daily habit that's changed everything. Starting with AG1 is a commitment to myself that I truly value. So this new year, try AG1 for yourself. It's the perfect time to start a new, healthy habit. And that's why I've been partnering with AG1 for so long. And AG1 is offering new subscribers a free $76 gift. When you sign up, you'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2, and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure you check out Drink Ag1.com Daily Beans to get this offer. That's DrinkAg1.com Dailybeans to start your new year on a healthier note. You'll be glad you did. All right, welcome back. It's time for the Hot Notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from Kiara Frazier at Politico. A former head of the FBI and the CIA is raising objections over whether Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, President elect Donald Trump's picks to be the directors of the FBI and National Intelligence, respectively, are qualified to serve in the Cabinet. So he has objections that they're qualified. In a letter to senators on Thursday, William Webster, the only person to lead both the FBI and the CIA, wrote that neither nominee meets the demands of top intelligence jobs. That's putting it mildly. Webster, who is 100 years old, praised Patel's patriotism, but wrote that his allegiance to Trump is concerning. Quote, his record of executing the president's directives suggest a loyalty to individuals rather than the rule of law, a dangerous precedent for an agency tasked with impartial enforcement of justice, he said. And I'm going to take a break from this Politico article for a second to remind everybody that the reason that The FBI has 10 year terms, Andy McCabe and I talked about on the Jack podcast, is to kind of quash, you know, what happened basically with Herbert Hoover who just, you know, buddied up to every single president over decades and did their bidding. And that's what this 10 year term is supposed to prevent. Now, of course, FBI Director Chris Wray has obeyed in advance and bowed out like a chickenshit instead of staying and making Trump fire him. But, you know, we've already discussed that and the issues that I have with that particular capitulation on the Jack podcast. Back to the Politico article. This is more from the letter from William Webster. When it came to Gabbard, Webster wrote that her profound lack of intelligence experience stood in contrast to the seasoned leadership needed for the role. Went on to say effective management in our intelligence community requires unparalleled expertise to navigate the complexities of global threats and to maintain the trust of allied nations. Without that trust, our ability to safeguard sensitive secrets and collaborate internationally is severely diminished. And again, I'd like to interject and just remind William Webster that with Trump in charge of all of it, I'm pretty sure our trust, our global trust will be severely diminished. But you know, Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel aren't going to help Trump's transition did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Webster was appointed FBI director in 1978 by Jimmy Carter and remained director under President Ronald Reagan until 1987. Then Reagan tapped him to be head of the CIA until 1991 under President George H.W. bush. He said, I urge you to weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience. The safety of the American people and your own families depends on it. So that is From William Webster, 100 years old, only guy, only person to ever head the FBI and the CIA. Next up from Brian Peach and Trisha Thadani at the post. Elon Musk on Friday voiced his support for an Alternative for Germany party. That's the far right German political party that has been classified by German intelligence as a suspected extremist organization. They're neo Nazis. The billionaire Tesla founder wrote on Twitter that only the AfD can save Germany. Musk tweets frequently, opining on politics and business, posting memes or sharing praise from fans. But recently, as he has grown cozier with President elect Donald Trump, his opinions have carried more weight in the offline world. On Wednesday, he tanked efforts in Congress to pass a spending bill aimed at averting a government shutdown. We went over that. In the weeks before Trump takes office, Musk has become a close advisor to him, often spending time with him at Mar a Lago. The president elects Florida residents. He has joined Trump's calls with foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The AFD endorsement comes ahead of German elections in February, following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's loss in a vote of confidence on Monday. AfD is leading a resurgence of the far right in Germany. The party is considered by Germany's domestic intelligence service to be suspected of extremism. Its youth arm and regional branches in three states are designated already as extremists globally. Musk has also used Twitter to show his support for some of the most prominent and polarizing figures of the right. He frequently posts about his support for Argentine president Malay I hope I'M saying that right? Whom he met with at Tesla in Texas. He was invited to a live online appearance with Bolsonaro and said on Twitter this summer he plans to meet with Indian Prime Minister Modi, though no date was announced. Each are populist figures who are bolstered by online armies that have been accused of spreading disinformation. And in a related story from NBC, Trump weighed in on a simmering feud among Maga allies over H1B worker visas, telling the New York Post that he supports the program. Now, Trump told the Post he's always liked the visas. The H1B visa program allows employers to temporarily hire non US citizens for highly skilled jobs. Quote I have many H1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H1B. I've used it many times. It's a great program, he said, according to the outlet's report. A spokesperson for the Trump transition team didn't respond to requests for comment. But during his first term, the Trump administration implemented rules that would have cut the number of H1B visas issued each year. The rules, however, were ultimately struck down in court. In recent days, MAGA World has been embroiled in a debate over the program, with one faction defending the visas, that's the Tech Bros. And another faction arguing that the program allows foreigners to take American jobs. Heavy quotes there. And of course that's the likes of Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon and the maga, you know, racists. Trump allies, including Musk and Ramaswamy argued in online posts that the visa program benefits the country. Musk said in a post this week that the number of people who are super talented engineers and super motivated in the USA is far too low. Musk, who we know was born in South Africa and is a naturalized US citizen, said the reason he and others who built SpaceX and Tesla are in the US is because of the H1B program. And that's not true. He didn't come here on an H1B. He came here on a fraudulent student visa, never enrolled, and overstayed his visa illegally. It wasn't an H1B. He said, Take a big step back and fuck yourself in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend. Musk said in a post on Twitter that, quote, those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party. Later clarifying he was referring to, quote, those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists. Musk's post well, all of his posts came in reply to a post from Scott Adams, the Dilbert guy, who said MAGA is taking a page from Democrats on how to lose elections while feeling good about themselves. Separately, Ramaswamy, who's partnering with Musk to lead Trump's dodgy, argued on Twitter that he hopes American culture prioritizes hard work over laziness. They basically called like Musk endorsed a post calling Americans the R word that ends in tard and that we're too stupid to do these jobs. And that's why he needs SpaceX and Tesla and the tech bros need the H1B visas. And Republicans who criticized H1B visas included Laura Loomer, Steve Bannon, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. She also weighed in, calling it lazy for the tech industry to automatically go to foreign workers for their needs. Quote, invest in our American workforce, she said in a post on Twitter Friday. We must invest in Americans first before looking elsewhere. Musk also faced accusations of censoring critics after more than a dozen conservatives, including Loomer, said their Blue Badge verification on X had been revoked after they criticized Musk over his views on immigration. He also demonetized them. He completely erased all of their paid subscribers and suspended like 14 accounts of people who were criticizing him. So, okay, I walked away from that dumpster fire that we called Twitter a while ago. I go there about once every 20 days or so maybe to post something because Musk threatened a while back that if you left your account and didn't do anything with it, he would take it over and it would be automatically canceled. And for my own safety, I need to retain my handle there so that dangerous imposters don't take it over and use it to do very bad harm to me and others. So, but other than that, I, you know, I just don't post there. I don't even go there. It's, it's off. It's a, it's, it's a shit show. I'm over on Blue sky now. That's where I spend my time on social media and today in Fuck around and find out from Tim Craig at the Post. Lori Massura goes to the grocery store on a bicycle because she can't afford to fix her Ford F150 pickup truck. The single mother and her 17 year old son live in an apartment that is so small she sleeps in the dining room. They receive $1,200 each month in food stamps and Social Security benefits, but they still come up short. Masura said she often must decide whether to buy milk or toilet paper. It was all that penny pinching that drove the part time tax consultant to abandon the Democratic Party this fall and vote for Donald Trump. Right? Quote, he's more attuned to the needs of everyone instead of just the rich. That's what Masura said in a recent afternoon and went on to say. I think he knows it's the poor people that got him elected, so I think Trump is going to do more to help us. You think? Trump carried the Pennsylvania city of Newcastle by about 400 votes, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to win there in nearly 70 years. More than one in four residents live in poverty and the median income in this former steel and railroad hub ranks as one of the lowest in Pennsylvania. Newcastle's poorest residents weren't alone in putting their faith in Trump Network. Exit polls suggest he erased the advantage Democrats had with low income voters across the country. 50% of voters from families with an income of less than $50,000 a year cast their ballots for Trump, compared with 48% for Harris four years ago. President Joe Biden carried those voters by 11 points, Hillary Clinton won them by 12 points in 2016 and former President Barack Obama won them by over by 22 points in 2012. Now, low income Americans who voted for Trump say they're counting on him to keep their benefits intact, even while his cabinet picks and Republican lawmakers call on him to cut federal spending. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump has chosen to lead a new non governmental advisory panel called Dodgy. We know this. They have said they want to trim $2 trillion from the government's annual budget, a cut that some experts say could be accomplished only by slashing entitlement programs, quote, unquote. Trump's pick for White House budget director was a key architect of Project 2025, a plan drawn up by conservatives to guide a second term that calls for steep cuts to programs such as food stamps. And Republican leaders in Congress and Trump advisors are considering significant changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other federal aid. Very recently, Rand Paul wanted to have an amendment on the continuing resolution to fund the government that raised the retirement age Social Security to 70 years old. The uncertainty comes after last week's high stakes showdown in Congress over the funding bill. Lawmakers narrowly avoided a shutdown after agreeing to fund the government until March. Mike Johnson had unveiled a bipartisan bill to put off a shutdown, but Trump and Musk railed against what they said was unnecessary spending in the initial package. Everybody is on hyper alert, says Tom Scott, the chief executive officer of Lawrence County Community Action Partnership, a social service agency that helps New Castle residents. Quote, you have to be concerned because you don't know which programs could be targeted. Some longtime Democrats like Mosura, said they initially struggled over whether to vote for Trump. They had believed Democrats were the most likely to help the poor and disagreed with Republicans on issues like abortion. But Mosura said she kept coming back to the conclusion that Trump would put Americans like her first and improve her economic prospects. Mosura said she has been unable to find full time work in her field and is planning to change her party affiliation to Republican. But she also gets anxious when she hears Republicans talk about reducing government spending. Quote, we helped get you in office. Please take care of us, she said, shifting the conversation as though she were speaking to Trump directly. Please don't cut the things that help the most vulnerable. Well, I hate to break it to you, but the president can't cancel some federal benefits for some while leaving some in place for others. The people who voted for him. If he didn't want cuts to programs that help the most vulnerable, he shouldn't have voted for a billionaire. And our last story comes from Jana Hollingsworth at the Minnesota Star Tribune. The ashes of 12 year old Chris Edwards are buried on the grounds of a Pine County, Minnesota camp where his mother insisted his memorial service be held in after his HIV related death in 1999. It's one of the reasons former campers are saddened by the news that one heartland in Willow River, Minnesota, about 40 minutes southwest of Duluth, is now for sale. The 80 acre site is home to a camp that has served kids living with or affected by HIV AIDS for more than 30 years. As a Wisconsin college student, the founder, Neil Willinson, read about a five year old boy in the Milwaukee area living with HIV who faced isolationism and discrimination at his school. Willinson reached out to the family and got to know them, learning the virus's deep effects on each member. And then he founded One Heartland in 1993 when he was 22 years old, intending it to be a short project. Now he's 53. He often marvels at how quickly his college age dreams of working in Hollywood as an actor and a producer diverged into to running a nonprofit. Quote, the impact was so transformative the first summer in 1993 that during the week the children were already saying, when can we come back? Willinson bought the Willow river property from an Optimist Club in 1997. Former Minnesota Twins player and manager Paul Molitor donated money for the purchase and was a spokesperson for the camp for several years. Quote, we wanted to create a safe haven where children affected by the disease, perhaps for the first time in their young lives, could speak openly about it and be in an environment of unconditional love and acceptance. That's what Willinson said, who is the president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, as well as a public speaker and founder of other camps. He stepped away from One Heartland leadership in 2010 with referrals from the National Institute of Health. Children were flown to Minnesota from around the country at no cost to their families, and expenses were paid by donors. So why is the camp closing? Because the number of babies contracting the virus through their mothers has declined to the point where such a camp no longer needs to exist. In the United States, the perinatal HIV transmission rate, or the rate of a mother passing the virus onto a child through pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding, is now less than 1%, thanks to antiretroviral medications. And that's according to the CDC. The World Health Organization says globally new HIV infections among children up to the age of 14 have declined by 38% since 2015, and AIDS related deaths have fallen by 43%. That there's no longer a need for the camp's original purpose, quote, is the greatest story that I ever could have imagined. That's what Willenson said, and he concluded it's something that I could have never predicted. All right, we'll be right back with State attorney for Palm Beach County, Dave Aronberg to discuss the Matt Gaetz ethics report and why no charges will be filed for statutory rape. Stick around. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody, welcome back. As promised, we have the state prosecutor from West Palm beach, at least for the next week or so, and my good friend to discuss Matt Gaetz and why he wasn't charged in Florida or why he wasn't charged federally and what went down with this. The release of this House Ethics Committee report. Please welcome my good friend, Dave Aronberg. Hey, Dave.
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Dave Aronberg
AG Great to be back with you. Happy New Year.
- [27:22]
Alison Gill
Happy New Year. It's always good to see you, my friend. The last time we saw each other, we had a nice brunch at DZ Aikens in San Diego. It was delicious. So thanks for joining me there.
- [27:32]
Dave Aronberg
It was amazing. I recommend that place to everyone. It was really good. And they know you and your picture is supposed to be on the wall, but for some reason they took it down for that day. I was disappointed.
- [27:42]
Alison Gill
I don't know why they took down my 8 by 10. Maybe they found out how it got up in the first place. Back probably about seven years ago, I did a flash mob in their deli and had all my friends come up to me like I was a strange. Like they were strangers but asking for my autograph. And then the owner was like, oh, who are you? Are you someone famous? I'm like, why, yes, I'm Al Gill. And they put my photo up. And then, you know, a few short years later, I was actually touring nationally and doing pretty well, but for some reason, they decided to take my photo down. That's okay. I felt kind of like an imposter anyway. But it was a fun. It was a fun flash mob. So, anyway, always delicious food at DZ Akins. And now, now the cat's out of the bag about how I got my photo. But anyway, I wanted to talk to you today. Some actual serious fraud perpetrated against people. Matt Gaetz and his fraud against the rules of the House and the House Ethics Committee and their gift rules, not to mention what they found out about his alleged sex trafficking of a minor and his alleged statutory rape. They found that he violated no federal laws, except for perhaps obstruction of Congress, which I don't think they reported to the Department of Justice for investigation. And I don't think the DOJ knew about it until this report came out about all of his obstruction. Failure to respond to subpoenas during the committee's investigation, and that would have been under Title 18, U.S. code, Section 1505, obstruction of Congress. But they did find that he violated Florida laws, particularly the statutory rape law. Federally speaking, age of consent is 16. And if you didn't know or you can't prove that the person knew the age of the victim, they don't really prosecute. But in Florida, it doesn't matter whether or not you knew the age. And if you're over the age of 24 and you have sex with someone who is 16 or 17, it's considered statutory rape. Even if the victim tells you they're over the age of 18 or over the age of consent, which is 18 there, as far as statutory rape goes. So, of course, all of this leads to the question, why didn't anyone in Florida prosecute this rape that occurred in July of 2017? And that's why I wanted to bring you on today.
- [29:59]
Dave Aronberg
Well, AG is a three year statute of limitations. So what happens is a crime of sex with an underage person. In Florida, you said it correctly, if you're 16 or 17, and the person having sex with that individual is 24 or older, then that is a crime. It's a felony, a serious felony, a second degree felony punishable of up to 15 years in prison. But the statute of limitations is three years from the victim's turning 18. So now the victim is 24 or around 24. I don't know her exact age. So that ship is sailed. Now as to why. So think of like this for, for prosecutors, state level, to get a case, law enforcement first has to investigate and then turn it over. From the beginning, this case was being handled by the feds. And when the feds are handling a case, the state stands down. And the feds kept this and they were looking at it for the more serious crime of human trafficking. Child sex trafficking is punishable by up to life in prison. So that's the big whammy here. And when the feds finally decided to decline, it was, I believe, already too late by that point. It was, it was. There it is. So that's, that's a big reason. Now the state could conceivably move ahead with a charge of child sex trafficking under state law. Under state law. Actually state law is tougher than federal law in that that is a strict liability offense at the federal law. There's a slight exception if you did not have time to properly observe the victim. That really wouldn't apply in this case because it wasn't like a one shot deal. But under state law there is no exception. So yeah, you go down for it. But here's the issue. When the feds investigate and they decide not to indict, then state prosecutors are very unlikely then to say, okay, then we'll do it too. Because if it's not enough evidence for the feds, if you don't think you can get a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, the state's not going to do it. And the state still needs a referral by a law enforcement agency. There were members of the press went to the attorney General to say, hey, are you going to be involved in this? The Attorney General of Florida, Ashley Moody in her office either declined to comment or said no. This is a status, this is a local district attorney issue. So everyone is looking at each other. But I do not expect any criminal charges to be charged against Matt Gates. Now a different question is that why didn't the feds move ahead when there was evidence, according to the House report, that there were multiple witnesses to the sex with the then 17 year old? Because that would be child sex trafficking. If it was a commercial sex act if money changed hands. But in that same House report, it says that unlike all the other alleged victims, this then 17 year old got paid in cash. Not Venmo, much harder to trace. So then not only do you need proof that sex occurred, but you also need proof that there was money changing hands. And because it was cash, I think the feds were like, you know what, we're not going to go down this road against a prominent member of Congress in the MAGA world. And this is where I do think that Matt Gaetz's position helped him because Merrick Garland, you know, one day with Merrick Garland. I know you like Merrick Garland and he seems like a decent guy, but he is, he's a former judge who does not want to appear political. So if you want to take down a politician in Merrick Garland's Department of Justice, you've got to really have the goods. Can't be in a wiggle room. And they thought there was too much wiggle room here.
- [33:46]
Alison Gill
Yeah. Or stick with me here for a second. There was a very pretty famous case up in the Southern District of New York being investigated by Trump's DOJ into Stormy Daniels hush money payment. And Trump's DOJ told the local prosecutor at the time, Manhattan DA Vance, who then later was, you know, with the office, was occupied by Alvin Bragg, stand down. We're doing a federal investigation just like you said, happened down here in Florida. And they did. And the Southern District of New York did nothing and tried to hold out until the statute of limitations for the state expired. They failed because of COVID and because the governor there, you know, told the criminal statute of limitations. And so Alvin Bragg was able to bring that charge even though their fall guy, Michael Cohen, who the Trump administration did their damnedest to make an unreliable witness by indicting him and calling him a liar. Bragg decided to go ahead with that case, whereas Florida did not. But the same thing seems to have happened here, the feds under Trump, because this whole Greenberg thing started under Donald Trump's Department of Justice. And they actually told the federal, local prosecutors, sheriff's office and DA stand down. And they did in Orlando. And then they sat on the case until the until to try to expire the statute of limitations. But you know, the committee found as far as sex trafficking a minor goes, that they didn't actually have the evidence to do that. And with regards to the human trafficking or a prostitution, I guess a federal charge, what's the statute of limitations on that? And had it expired by the time Merrick, before Merrick Garland even got there. But what my question that remains unanswered about Merrick Garland here that I would like answered is the obstruction of Congress piece. Did he know, did he know that Matt Gaetz was obstructing Congress and violating federal law? Because that there is a pretty open and shut case given all of the obstruction outline in the House ethics report. So did he know? Was he aware? Did the committee tell him? Did the Republicans in the committee vote against telling the Department of Justice about this obstruction of Congress until just now when of course nothing can be done? Or did they know and not and choose not to investigate? That's my question. Because all that obstruction took place in 2023 and 2024. Right. Well within Merrick Garland's, you know, having been there. And also it's important to remember that Trump's U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Florida was there until 2022 and the interim guy was also there. In fact, it was the week that Biden's U.S. attorney took over the Middle District of Florida. It was that same week that the feds declined to press charges against Matt Gaetz for any federal crimes, which again the committee said that they couldn't get enough evidence to prove happened.
- [36:50]
Dave Aronberg
Well, these are all good points, all good questions. Just take a step back. It was the investigation of Matt Gates was open under Bill Barr and Trump administration. So when Gates says it's all political, this is Biden. No, no, no, this was, this was Bill Barr and Donald Trump. But the investigation started in the Middle District of Florida and the person who was in charge of the investigation was a guy named Roger Handberg, someone I know, very ethical, top notch prosecutor.
- [37:16]
Alison Gill
Right. He's been there since 2002.
- [37:18]
Dave Aronberg
Right.
- [37:19]
Alison Gill
He was the acting deputy because up until the very end of 2021. He was only interim until the end of 2022 when he actually took over. And Biden said you can be the new U.S. attorney there.
- [37:32]
Dave Aronberg
Right. So he was still the, the main prosecutor in this case, even under Bill Barr's doj. And then under Biden, he became the top dog, the U.S. attorney there. So he was, it wasn't like the Trump people were investigating and then slow walking it. And then Biden's people came in. They didn't have enough time. It was the same person who did it. And I do believe that Roger Hamburg in good faith and his team decided that they didn't have enough to go. And it wasn't just his decision, by the way. This went up to Main justice as you know, they brought in folks from D.C. because it was Matt Gates. And so there were a lot of people looking at it. And I think they were erring on the side of not pursuing an indictment. They, they wanted to be absolutely sure. Now, the one area where I think they had the goods was on obstruction, like you said. Now, aside from congressional obstruction, this is talking about obstruction of justice through witness.
- [38:26]
Alison Gill
Witness tampering of the federal case. Right. The DOJ mentions in the Matt Gaetz report that the DOJ had a recording of Matt Gaetz on a phone call to one of the main witnesses.
- [38:35]
Dave Aronberg
That's right. So I do, I think they had. And they could have prosecuted him on witness tampering. And, you know, the key witness for the DOJ was Matt Gaetz's ex girlfriend. Matt Gaetz's ex girlfriend worked for the federal government and the state government. She had no axe to grind with Matt Gaetz. They left on good terms. She knew about this all. She even participated in some of this stuff.
- [38:56]
Alison Gill
So she did plead the Fifth quite a bit, though.
- [38:58]
Dave Aronberg
Well, you know, she was given immunity then before a grand jury. And so the Fed, now we're going to get them. But apparently, and you know you and I are not privy to grand jury testimony, obviously, but apparently she did not give up the goods on him on anything but witness tampering. It seems like just from reading the tea leaves, that was the only thing. But then it was up to the DOJ to say, do we go after Matt Gaetz on witness tampering when we're not going to prosecute him for the underlying crime of child sex trafficking? And they said, you know, unless we have an underlying crime, we're not going to go after Matt Gaetz, Matt Gates, just for the witness tampering. Now, if you're wondering about prostitution, the man act does say you cannot pay for sex. You can't transport someone over state or federal lines for purposes of prostitution. But because we're not dealing with quid pro quo prostitution here, but rather the gray area of sugar daddy relationships, the Fed's like, we want no part of that, or else perhaps they'd have to prosecute half of Palm Beach. Right?
- [39:55]
Alison Gill
Well, not only that, but there has to be coercion or, or they have to, you know, it has to be coerc, etc, Right?
- [40:02]
Dave Aronberg
Well, actually, ag, you only need force, fraud or coercion when it comes to sex trafficking. In the separate statute of the man act, you just need quid pro quo prostitution. I'm giving you this money exchange for sex. Now, if you ask the girls, they were. They were deposed and they said, we're not prostitutes. There was no quid pro quo. We were there. We were there under, you know, whatever. And. And they were. They did not want to be seen as prostitutes. And these were sugar daddy relationships in that gray area. And that's why you don't see anyone getting prosecuted for having a relationship through seeking arrangements or sugar daddy websites. That is the reason I think he was not prosecuted, because the only thing I think they really had him dead to rights on was the witness tampering, but they didn't have the underlying crime. And I think that's why DOJ said, we're going to drop it. And by the time they dropped it, it was too late for the state to bring their charges.
- [40:53]
Alison Gill
Oh, magically. And I personally am against prosecuting anyone for quote, unquote, prostitution. As one of my favorite comedians said, if God wanted women to prostitute themselves, who would have given her free will and a vagina? But that's just me. That's just my own personal. I understand the law is the law, but that's just my own personal. That's just my two cents there. But, yeah, the fact that the statute of limitations for statutory rape had expired is why the sheriff's office in Palm beach and. And Ashley Moody is like, yeah, well, Ashley Moody's like, it's for the locals. And the locals, like, by the way.
- [41:25]
Dave Aronberg
You said Palm Beach.
- [41:25]
Alison Gill
Oh, sorry. Orlando.
- [41:27]
Dave Aronberg
Okay, thank.
- [41:28]
Alison Gill
Sorry. I didn't mean to sully the reputation of West Palm beach more than it already is.
- [41:33]
Dave Aronberg
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're talking about Seminole county, which is actually north of Orlando. Orlando's in Orange County. But, yes, I don't think that this was a move by the state attorney to try to cover up something. I think they just ran out of time. The statute of limitations. I think the mistake here was that I think they, at the federal level were perhaps a little too cautious.
- [41:58]
Alison Gill
And that's my problem with the DOJ here, with Garland's DOJ here is. Is that witness tampering, the recording that they had, it seems like charges should have been brought there without an underlying crime, though. I mean, maybe. Maybe it's the old Bill Barr memo that we finally got a piece of that said you can't charge obstruction of justice without an underlying crime, which we know is bullshit, but that's the reason that Garland didn't bring charges in. In the Mueller obstruction case with those beautiful 10 or so obstruct that were laid out so beautifully. And Fabulously in volume two of the Mueller report is because of Bill Barr's memo. It was a get out of jail free card for Trump. Shouldn't apply to anyone else. But you know that I think that this over cautious approach was the reason we didn't see charges in the Matt Gaetz obstruction and witness tampering part of this case. Because. Yeah, and I have a huge problem with that. I think that that was a mistake.
- [42:52]
Dave Aronberg
Well, I would say that most people in the Biden administration, including Joe Biden himself, would say the appointment of Merrick Garland was a M because what they tried to do was they tried to find the antidote to the poisonous DOJ under Bill Barr where it was a revolutionary that had Trump's back on seemingly everything until the stolen election stuff. That garbage was too far for even Bill Barr. But Bill Barr had him back. He was going to had Trump's back. He was essentially Trump's personal lawyer up to a point. And as a reaction to that, Joe Biden and the Democrats said we're going to be more ethical. We're going to find the, the guy who's above politics from the judiciary, who's going to be super cautious and it's going to instill the confidence in everyone. But yeah, I think for a lot of us he was too cautious. And perhaps a Sally Yates or Doug Jones would have changed the course of history. Maybe they would have moved faster and prosecuted people like Donald Trump and Magaz and everything would have been different now.
- [43:49]
Alison Gill
Well, you know, this, this DOJ did attempt to prosecute Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, we have to thank for ending that. But there should have been open or loud or noisy investigations into the corruption of Bill Barr and Bill Barr's Justice Department. And we just didn't see that because of the caution. And of course the FBI as well, extremely cautious after the huge black eye they got, they gave themselves, I should say, in 2016. So it's frustrating that we are now, we now find ourselves in the position that we're in here we are.
- [44:24]
Dave Aronberg
And you have been really good about this ag, about making sure the story is straight and correct about Merrick Garland, because there are people who correctly, well, incorrectly say that Merrick Garland just didn't do anything and he dragged us, well, he did, I think drag his feet up to a point. But he did end up prosecuting Donald Trump, then hiring Jack Smith, although that took, I think longer than it needs to be.
- [44:47]
Alison Gill
And I think I've long said he should have appointed a special counsel in 2021. To investigate the insurrection Donald Trump. It wouldn't have been Jack Smith because he was busy prosecuting war criminals over at the Hague at that time, but it would have been somebody else.
- [45:00]
Dave Aronberg
That's right. But yeah, I do think the history of Merrick Garland is going to be one told of lost opportunities and someone who was extra cautious, perhaps too timid for this position. And I'll say this, as a prosecutor, when you appoint someone to be attorney general, send a prosecutor to do a prosecutor's job. I don't think it's the best to send a judge to a prosecutor's job because a judge has a different mindset, skill set. The worst thing you can say about a judge is that they're political. So they overreact. They don't even get near the line because they're so careful. But that brings up my favorite quote from my favorite band Rush, Neil Peart, if you choose not to decide, you'll still have made a choice. So if you dither and say, oh, we're not going to decide here, we're going to delay, well, you made a choice then you've made a choice to let these folks free.
- [45:52]
Alison Gill
Yeah, agreed. All right, my friend, thank you so much for spending some time with us talking about the Matt Gaetz Report and the particular failure of Merrick Garland's Department of Justice. We know that the Bar and Trump Department of Justice was corrupt af but you know, these failures of the Garland Department of Justice and specifically witness tampering and obstruction here I think have to be talked about. So I appreciate your time very much and enjoy your final week as a state prosecutor in Palm beach county, my friend.
- [46:23]
Dave Aronberg
Yes, it is bittersweet. I'm leaving my job after 12 years. Hopefully I can do more shows like yours AG because I love doing it with you. Hopefully you'll still have me back even after my has been. But I'm gonna, I'm gonna do some private sector law and also expand my own TV and streaming stuff I've been doing. So please follow me on Bluesky at Dave Aronberg. I'm posting there a lot more than the other places. I don't do much on those other places anymore and my YouTube channel, which is True Crime MTN, although we'll be rebranding in the new year to expand the subject matters beyond true crime. So see you there and I'll see you here AG on your show.
- [47:04]
Alison Gill
Yep. I'll always have you back because I mean I know that it's, you know, some people speculate that once you leave a job, all of that information goes out of your head. But that is just not true. So we will have you back for your incredible expertise on the law, particularly in Florida, because, you know, maybe, maybe not. But I think some more laws are going to be broken in Florida over the next four years.
- [47:28]
Dave Aronberg
Somehow I think we'll be talking a lot about the Florida man and lots of others in Florida in the future. So please have me back ag and I want to wish you and your listeners a happy new year.
- [47:39]
Alison Gill
Yeah, happy New Year to you. And yeah, of course, I mean, I think two thirds of his cabinet is from Florida. So we'll keep an eye on it and we'll definitely have you back in the new year. Everybody follow Dave Aronberg A R o N B E R G wherever you need to follow him, especially on YouTube, MTM and at the Midas Touch network who who are good friends of ours and I appreciate your time. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone. Then good news, everyone. Good news, good news. And if you have any good news stories you want to send us, all you have to do is go to dailybeanspod.com, click on contacts, submit your good news and attach your pod pet tax. That means a photo of your pet. And if you don't have a pet, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have an adoptable pet in your area, you can send us a photo of any animal. And if you don't have any of that, you can send us your baby photos to pay your tax to get your good news on the air. Thank you so much for sending them in. And your good news could be in the form of a shout out. Like a shout out to a loved one, a spouse, a friend, a self shout out, a small business in your area that could use a boost or your small business. Tell us what you're making and what you're creating. There's so many amazing entrepreneurs that listen to this show. We want to hear from you. We also love shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the affordable anything Republicans want to get rid of. Basically the Affordable Care act, student debt relief. I send those student debt relief stories to the White House. They love receiving them and they do read them again. You can send all of it to us@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. All right, first up from anonymous pronoun she and her thank you Beans Queens for keeping me informed and mostly sane these past few years. I just started easing myself back into listening to the beans cleanup and jack again. I'm still mildly shell shocked, but I need to be informed and what better way than MSW podcasts. Thank you. Thank you so much. You asked for photos dissing Trump Properties. I made a point while on a motorcycle trip in Ireland. It was quite satisfying. And my pod pet tax is Henry, my flame Point Siamese Rescue Kitty. He's got an Instagram @henry h e n r I henrykitty travels. He's very smart and is very food motivated, you know. Me too. Thanks. He travels with us in our van and he's brought us so much joy since we rescued him as a little kitten from a capture neuter release organization in Scottish He's a Blue Star kitty now. Thanks for all you and Dana do your work. Your advocacy and fundraising is admirable. Oh he's fantastically beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. And thank you for sharing the bird. The bird watching. We flip the bird at Trump Properties of Trump International Golf Club in Ireland. Thank you so much. Anonymous I love this submission. Next up from Don no pronouns. Brand new listener here. My pick is just about a year old. This liberal boy from MA wasn't going to miss an opportunity to visit Mar A Lado while vacationing nearby. And there you are driving by flipping the bird. I forgot to mention this in the opening of the good news by the way. Something else we love to have submitted. We call it bird watching. Send us your photos of you flipping the bird at Trump Properties or just Trump on tv. Anything, any Trump and flipping bird situation. We love Don. Thank you. Welcome. I'm glad you're here new listener. We appreciate you so so much. Thanks for being here. From Meredith T. Pronoun. She and her hello Beans Queens. I want to give a self shout out. I wasn't one of the amazing people who left post its in bathrooms and on grocery store shelves reminding people that they can vote blue in secret. But that's what I'm doing now because we know that our mission continues. I bought a hundred yellow post its and just started writing messages that I'll be distributing all over Central Florida over these four years and maybe longer year. I'm sending two photos of what I've done so far. Messages like quote none of this is normal or acceptable. Democrats must take back the House and Senate in 2026 and gun violence is the number one killer of children in the US. Thanks Republicans. I'll also be taking information from Joe Biden's impressive record on how he's brought the country back from the brink of disaster in so many ways. If I can do this, anybody can. Meredith T. This is a fantastic way to resist post its in bathrooms. I love it and central Florida especially. Thank you AG and dg. And then we've got a couple of photos here of some of these notes. Thank you so much for this good trouble. Meredith T. I absolutely love it. Next up from Angie Pronoun. She and her Good day beans Queens. This is a shout out to the aca AKA Obamacare. Shortly after getting insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that had already spread to my lymph nodes. Oh gosh. Two years later I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I'm alive and mostly well today thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The thought of the Orange Evil One and his cult followers destroying the ACA keeps me up at night. Thanks for all you do to keep us informed and a wee bit hopeful. My Podbet Tax is my rescue dog Chukchi. She's a, she's from a village in the northwest in Northwest Alaska. Oh my gosh. Can you guess her breeds? Oh and there's the breeds already listed. So I didn't get a chance to to guess but the answers are a Belgian Malinois, Australian cattle dog, Dutch Shepherd, Lab, Siberian Husky, Malamute and Golden Retriever. I would have said German shepherd and Lab so I would have been the Belgian Malinois. Kind of close to a German shepherd but I, I wouldn't have gotten many of these right. Sorry about that. Our producer usually puts those breeds at the end of the submission but that was not the case in this one so I, I didn't get it. But trust me, even if I had a chance to guess I would have botched it. Beautiful dog. Thank you for your submission. Next up from Erica. She her got a great Christmas present. Finally after 10 years my student loans are finally forgiven. The past year has been anxiety producing. Waiting for the department of education to transfer my account. Then I was in forbearance. Then I had to wait three months for them to figure it out. Now I can retire in 2025. I'll be 69 in January. Think about that. Erica has had this student debt her entire life. Her entire working life for Pod Pet Tax. This is Robin, my most recent indoor cat. There are four. She has to be touching me. Two of the pictures here her asleep across my back. The third picture is next to me on the cat tree. In addition to the four inside, I feed six colony cats. I won't say feral because I've been feeding them for 11 years and they're waiting on my porch when I come home. Thanks for all you do. You and DG are keeping me sane. Look at this lovey. Always touching. So cute and very sleepy. Just one of the cats that sleeps 22 hours a day. Adorable. Next up from Jennifer B. Pronoun. She and her hello. My foster son recently moved on after 11 months with me. We had a special bond so the change has been difficult to fill some space in my heart and mind, I finally started listening to the Daily Beans podcast. Within the first few listens I heard the delightful story about Boswell the Cow and I took it as a sign that I had found my people. I subscribed to see the picture of Boswell the Cow. Truth. I was already planning to support the cause. Jennifer B. I love that this thank you already for the fellowship I feel with you, ag, DG and the listeners. My pod pet tax are my kitties Patty and Reuben. They departed this earth at separate times earlier this year, but remain in my heart. This was the closest I ever caught them near each other. They merely tolerated each other. Bless them. Shout out to Guardians Ad Litem for the work they do in Child Welfare. Great. Shout out Jennifer B. And welcome. Welcome to the Beans. It is definitely a wonderful community. It's the coolest thing I've ever done. I never got a chance to have kids so this community is the coolest thing I've ever been a part of. So I'm glad you're here. And finally from Alice Pronoun. She and her hi Beans team. Quick confession. When I heard the Photoshop change announcement, I was sure we were going to hear the sign was changed to Rump Tower or maybe Rump Trump Oral Golf Club. Erg Barf. It reminded me of what I guess you could call a shit kids read. One year our branch library lost a letter from its sign for the multiple months it took to get fixed. We giggled and rejoiced to visit the pubic library. Ah, the innocence of youth. I suck at photography and don't know how to use Photoshop. So no pictures this time. Hang in there fierce defenders of truth, justice and freedom. Signed Alice. Thank you Alice. Thank you so much. We have a sign these old neon signs from days gone by around San Diego neighborhood and one of them is Kensington. And everything but sin had burned out on Kensington. So we that we call it the City of Sin now. Alice thank you again for your submission. Everyone who has submitted today, thank you so much and welcome to our new listeners. We have a whole trove of new Daily Beans listeners and we really appreciate your support. Just listening to the podcast helps us out. So thank you so so very much. I'm glad you're here again. Shout out to this amazing community. Glad to be back in your ears and you know Dana and I will be back tomorrow and thanks to Dave Aronberg for joining me today. Everybody, until tomorrow, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your framily. I've been ag and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information please visit mswmedia.com msw media.