Oh, Matty. Have you been a naughty boy?

[Rhea]

Did Gaetz know that she was 17? That ABC News article does state that she misrepresented her age as being >18.

Maybe if he doesn’t want to be at risk for having sex with underage people, he should just stay sober and not go out at night.

 

[southernhybrid]

Did Gaetz know that she was 17? That ABC News article does state that she misrepresented her age as being >18.

Maybe if he doesn’t want to be at risk for having sex with underage people, he should just stay sober and not go out at night.

It doesn't matter whether he thought she was older than 17, although that defense occasionally works.

https://thelawman.net/blog/can-i-be-charged-statutory-rape-if-i-was-unaware-my-partners-age/

Can I Still Be Charged If the Minor Lied About Their Age?​

Even if a minor lies about their age, the older individual can still be charged with statutory rape. In Florida, this means you cannot use a “mistake-of-age defense” to legally justify your sexual encounter with a minor.

The only exemption Florida allows in statutory rape cases is outlined under its “Romeo and Juliet” law. Under this law, Florida provides an exemption to partners who are “close in age” to the minor they were involved with. For example, under this exemption, a 18- and 17-year-old could engage in sexual activity.

I guess Matt should have asked for her driver's license to make sure she at least 18. it's amazing how many men get away with these crimes, especially when it involves someone who is technically a minor.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Did Gaetz know that she was 17? That ABC News article does state that she misrepresented her age as being >18.

Maybe if he doesn’t want to be at risk for having sex with underage people, he should just stay sober and not go out at night.

It doesn't matter whether he thought she was older than 17, although that defense occasionally works.

https://thelawman.net/blog/can-i-be-charged-statutory-rape-if-i-was-unaware-my-partners-age/

Can I Still Be Charged If the Minor Lied About Their Age?​

Even if a minor lies about their age, the older individual can still be charged with statutory rape. In Florida, this means you cannot use a “mistake-of-age defense” to legally justify your sexual encounter with a minor.

The only exemption Florida allows in statutory rape cases is outlined under its “Romeo and Juliet” law. Under this law, Florida provides an exemption to partners who are “close in age” to the minor they were involved with. For example, under this exemption, a 18- and 17-year-old could engage in sexual activity.

I guess Matt should have asked for her driver's license to make sure she at least 18. it's amazing how many men get away with these crimes, especially when it involves someone who is technically a minor.

The story goes that when he found out she was 17 he stopped having sex with her until she turned 18. See… no harm, no foul.

 

[SLD]

Marjorie Taylor Greene says if every member of Congress had to resign for doing what Matt Gaetz has been accused of, "Democrats would have a supermajority."

Ohhhhhkay!

 

[TomC]

Marjorie Taylor Greene says if every member of Congress had to resign for doing what Matt Gaetz has been accused of, "Democrats would have a supermajority."

Ohhhhhkay!

I'd love to see a quote or video clip or something.
That's so excellent.
Tom

 

[Shadowy Man]

Does that mean that the Democrats can have Al Franken and Anthony wiener back?

 

[Elixir]

Marjorie Taylor Greene says if every member of Congress had to resign for doing what Matt Gaetz has been accused of, "Democrats would have a supermajority."

Ohhhhhkay!

Eeeeuw! Was that intended to imply that she has been doing drugs and screwing creeps at parties ever since she was 17?

 

[ZiprHead]

He has the right hair for televangelist. And he knows how to bring the bullshit. I can hear the rustle of the twenties, fifties, and hundreds coming in.

Rapey McForehead.

 

[Angry Floof]

I think age misrepresentation should definitely be a valid defense against these kinds of charges, yes.
I also think 16 years is a better cutoff for age of consent than 18. 18 (or above) is actually pretty rare in the civilized world.

That can be presented to the judge before the sentencing and after the conviction. It might help, but the judge has heard that one before. Why not try, "The Devil made me do it." If a person has sex with another person who is legally incapable of giving consent, it's a crime, as defined by the applicable statute.

This crime falls into the category of "exploiting the helpless" and blaming it on her only compounds the sin.

Oh, no, no, no. There are plenty of judges who look for reasons to let rapists go so the conviction doesn't ruin the rapist's life and stuff.

 

[Elixir]

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

What do you think Mike Johnson would say if Gaetz tries to come back to the House now?

I think they'd still try to protect him from the ethics report, say something like it cannot proceed because he is coming in now as a private citizen. If they reopen the ethics report, it would open Pandora's box.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I think age misrepresentation should definitely be a valid defense against these kinds of charges, yes.

I partially agree. I do not like it as a strict liability law (I do not think any strict liability laws should exist) but everyone knows teenagers often pretend to be older than they are and I believe the older party should do reasonable due diligence in confirming they are old enough. Same as we expect stores to card for alcohol and tobacco.

I also think 16 years is a better cutoff for age of consent than 18. 18 (or above) is actually pretty rare in the civilized world.

I'm fine with 18 with Romeo and Juliet laws. Too much of a gap at that age is almost always exploitive.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I think age misrepresentation should definitely be a valid defense against these kinds of charges, yes.
I also think 16 years is a better cutoff for age of consent than 18. 18 (or above) is actually pretty rare in the civilized world.

I think grown ass men should walk away if there's even a whiff of possibility of a potential sex partner being underage. It's not like he had no choice. It's not like he had no ethical responsibility.

The kind of men who say "she said she was 18" have no moral compass or functional sense of empathy, and don't waste a second worrying about the balance of power there. The Matt Gaetzes of the world are well aware of their power and have no intention of being mindful of it beyond keeping up appearances. We see them.

While "she said she was 18" is utterly inadequate to me I don't think any whiff of a possibility of being underage is a reasonable standard--that means the baby-faced can't have sex. Should I have had to walk away because my wife doesn't look her age? (And, because of the language barrier you couldn't tell very well by talking, either. Also, she's petite enough that almost all her US-bought clothes are from the big girls section, not the women's.) Consider: In the course of one evening I have had one person say I looked too young to be married and another say that I was robbing the cradle. Both individuals were Mormon. (Relevant as they tend to marry young.) If I'm too young and I robbed the cradle doesn't that imply she's way underage?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

And how does this not meet the legal requirement of blackmail?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And how does this not meet the legal requirement of blackmail?

I'm still amazed that Rep. Greene indicated she was a victim of at least harassment, and the press has completely ignored it. But OMFG! Did you see the historical pardon that shields Hunter Biden from blowing up the Hindenburg?!?

To make matters worse, they also didn't follow up with her asking why she wants to bring up these accusations., including her own... to justify confirming a guy with very questionable sexual behavior.

 

[Elixir]

Personally, I am extremely unlikely to vote for anyone who does things that force me to think about their sexual behavior.

 

[Toni]

Did Gaetz know that she was 17? That ABC News article does state that she misrepresented her age as being >18.

Maybe if he doesn’t want to be at risk for having sex with underage people, he should just stay sober and not go out at night.

It doesn't matter whether he thought she was older than 17, although that defense occasionally works.

https://thelawman.net/blog/can-i-be-charged-statutory-rape-if-i-was-unaware-my-partners-age/

Can I Still Be Charged If the Minor Lied About Their Age?​

Even if a minor lies about their age, the older individual can still be charged with statutory rape. In Florida, this means you cannot use a “mistake-of-age defense” to legally justify your sexual encounter with a minor.

The only exemption Florida allows in statutory rape cases is outlined under its “Romeo and Juliet” law. Under this law, Florida provides an exemption to partners who are “close in age” to the minor they were involved with. For example, under this exemption, a 18- and 17-year-old could engage in sexual activity.

I guess Matt should have asked for her driver's license to make sure she at least 18. it's amazing how many men get away with these crimes, especially when it involves someone who is technically a minor.

It’s not a technicality: it’s the law.

 

[Elixir]

I musta broke that law a lot of times when I was a teen. It didn’t seem like anything wrong at the time. Or even in retrospect. I guess it’s because it would have required some third party authority to arbitrate who was taking advantage of whom.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I guess Matt should have asked for her driver's license to make sure she at least 18. it's amazing how many men get away with these crimes, especially when it involves someone who is technically a minor.

It’s not a technicality: it’s the law.

Actually it is a technicality.

If you are the father of a 17 year old, then what Matt Gaetz is worthy of the death penalty.
However, if instead you are boinking the 17 year old, it is definitely a gray area and we shouldn't rush to judgment. After all, she does look legal.

You keep looking at this all wrong, you know from the legal perspective... instead of the rightful perspective... that of the male and their adjacency to the situation. I can only imagine the Venn Diagram of the people with the bumper stickers indicating violent intent on transgenders using the same bathroom as their daughter... and those that think the later up above.

 

[laughing dog]

I guess Matt should have asked for her driver's license to make sure she at least 18. it's amazing how many men get away with these crimes, especially when it involves someone who is technically a minor.

It’s not a technicality: it’s the law.

Actually it is a technicality.

If you are the father of a 17 year old, then what Matt Gaetz is worthy of the death penalty.
However, if instead you are boinking the 17 year old, it is definitely a gray area and we shouldn't rush to judgment. After all, she does look legal.

Every law is a technicality by definition, so your distinction is not helpful in that sense. Certainly this person's age is not a gray area - it is a fact.
Whether one agrees with the law is a judgment, but the law is clear.

Whether she looked legal is irrelevant. People with agency should think with their brains not genitals. If that teenager lied about her age, Mr. Gaetz and you would have a valid point IMO.