(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Want some schadenfreude? Republicans are now the ones bringing up Gaetz's 'issues' [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-06 Remember Madison Cawthorn, the one-term GOP wonder boy who flamed out in a flurry of scandals, not the least of which was claiming he had been “invited to what he described as cocaine-fueled orgies held by fellow lawmakers in Washington, D.C.” That he was talking about fellow Republicans was a bridge too far. Well, Cawthorn has managed one feat. His name has been turned into a verb, and Matt Gaetz is now the object of that verb. Via David Badash at Alternet: ...The word “Cawthorned” has been trending on social media Thursday after Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who served as a U.S. Congressman for a decade until this year, made allegations on-camera about Gaetz’s behavior. On CNN Wednesday night Mullin described Gaetz as “a guy the media didn’t give the time of day to after he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl. And there’s a reason why no one in the [Republican] conference came and defended him, because we had all seen the videos he was showing on the House floor that all of us had walked away, of the girls that he had slept with. He bragged about how he would crush E.D. medicine and chase it with the with an energy drink so he could go all night.” There is a Youtube video from Forbes talking to Senator Mullin on October 5; Gaetz comes up about 45 seconds into it. Mullin continues to push the GOP spin that it was the Democrats who brought down McCarthy. The unforgivable Republican sin is to work with Democrats, and that’s what has him angry with Gaetz and the other 7 whose votes pushed McCarthy out. Now nothing can get done in the House — and that includes the investigations into President Biden and Hunter Biden. Mullin is disgusted. x YouTube Video While listening to Mullin complain about Gaetz, one thing is striking. He and his fellow Republicans knew all of these things about Gaetz, but they were willing to ignore them. The only thing that really matters to them is that Gaetz and the other 7 blew up everything when he took down McCarthy. A House Ethics Committee investigation of the allegations against Gaetz was opened in 2021, when Democrats still controlled the House. "The Committee is aware of public allegations that Representative Matt Gaetz may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift, in violation of House Rules, laws, or other standards of conduct," the panel's chairman, Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., and ranking member, Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., said in a joint written statement. The Department of Justice also opened an investigation, which put the House effort on hold. The investigation was closed in February, 2023. WASHINGTON – The Justice Department has formally decided not to charge firebrand Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz in a sex trafficking investigation, the lawmaker's lawyers said Wednesday. "We have just spoken with the DOJ and have been informed that they have concluded their investigation into Congressman Gaetz and allegations related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice, and they have determined not to bring any charges against him," attorneys Marc Mukasey and Isabelle Kirshner said. Gaetz may have shot himself in the foot. As long as McCarthy didn’t dare lose a single Republican vote in the House (which is why George Santos is still there), it’s likely the Ethics Committee under GOP control would not pursue the investigation. Now? Gaetz could be facing expulsion if and when the House is able to function again. The shambolic chaos among the House Republicans is likely to increase going forward. Here’s how Gaetz’s own constituents reacted to his ouster of the Speaker. What that says about his chances of surviving a primary challenge, let alone a general election, will be interesting to watch. He’s likely to cruise to reelection given how far right his district is, and is likely to continue to cause headaches for what’s left of the GOP establishment whose first concern is to hang on to power — not burn everything down. They now have to decide if the Ethics Committee can expel him and do him enough damage in the process to open the door for another Republican, or just grin and bear it. Expect the Cawthorning of Gaetz to continue for now, but with a lot of GOP fingers held to the wind. x YouTube Video Got popcorn? 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