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Former Matt Gaetz aide says FBI contacted him after sex-trafficking probe information

Former Matt Gaetz aide says FBI contacted him after sex-trafficking probe news

Nathan Nelson, a former employee of U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz, speaks to the news media on April 5, 2021 in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

Colin Hackley | Reuters

A former Rep. Matt Gaetz employee said Monday that FBI agents contacted him last week shortly after it became known that the Florida Republican was involved in a federal investigation into the sex trafficking.

Nathan Nelson, Gaetz’s former director of military affairs, said two agents questioned him at his home after hearing from media officials that Nelson knew of Gaetz’s alleged involvement in illegal activities. The media tipsters told the FBI that Nelson resigned based on this knowledge, the ex-aide said.

“I’m here this morning to declare that nothing could be further from the truth,” Nelson said at a press conference in northwest Florida. “Neither I nor any other employee of Congressman Gaetz had knowledge of illegal activities.”

Nelson His departure from Gaetz’s office last fall had nothing to do with investigating the Justice Department’s allegations against the 38-year-old congressman. The investigation into whether Gaetz trafficked an underage girl began in the final months of former President Donald Trump’s tenure, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

In response to CNBC’s report on Nelson’s statements, Gaetz slammed the FBI, claiming the agency had “literally false media rumors”.

“Sounds familiar?” Gaetz added. He and other Republicans have accused government agencies and officials of conservative bias in recent years. In 2019, Gaetz accused special adviser Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into Russian interference and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign in the 2016 elections, of attempting to “stop Trump”. That investigation, which did not find enough evidence to suggest a collusion between Trump and Russia, has since become a powerful symbol for Republicans feeling targeted by government institutions.

The FBI did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

In the meantime, Gaetz stated in a new comment that he was “absolutely not resigning” and “not being intimidated or blackmailed” by his political opponents.

Gaetz, an outspoken Trump loyalist, has previously denied having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paying for her trips with him, and he remained defiant on Monday morning.

“Since it is my turn under the gun, I would like to address the allegations against me directly. First, I never paid for sex. And second, as a grown man, I did not sleep at the age of 17 -old,” wrote Gaetz in the Washington Examiner.

Last week, Gaetz said in a statement that he and his family are threatened in a multi-million dollar extortion program involving a former Justice Department official. Police officers told NBC News that the DOJ is pursuing a separate investigation into Gaetz’s allegations of blackmail.

The sex trafficking investigation with Gaetz emerged from another case involving his former associate, Joel Greenberg, a local Florida official who was charged on numerous charges last summer, including sex trafficking in a child.

Nelson said at the press conference that he was approached by federal agents the day after the Times first reported on alleged sex trafficking.

The former Gaetz aide said he knew nothing specific about the investigation and had never heard of Greenberg before last week’s reports. But the “unsubstantiated allegation” that led the FBI to approach him “continues to convince me” that the allegations against Gaetz “are also fabricated,” Nelson said.

Another Gaetz employee, communications director Luke Ball, resigned last week.

Nelson worked in Gaetz’s office for more than four years before leaving last October, according to his LinkedIn profile. He said Monday that his departure was planned.

Nelson told reporters he was still “loosely linked to Gaetz’s office as a military advisor” in an unpaid capacity, “but said he had not spoken to Gaetz in” several months “.

Gaetz’s office had arranged Nelson’s press conference.

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Politics

Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan plans to launch PAC in opposition to Schumer, Gillibrand

Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan plans to launch PAC against Schumer, Gillibrand

Lindsey Boylan attends the 9th Annual Elly Awards held by the New York Women’s Forum on June 17, 2019 in New York City.

Mike Coppola | Getty Images

Update: Later on Friday after this story was published, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand issued a statement calling on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign. Cuomo prosecutor Lindsey Boylan, who threatened to launch a PAC to defy the two Democratic lawmakers, tweeted her statement again.

A former aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to set up a political action committee against Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand after failing to call on New York Governor to resign.

Lindsey Boylan, who in a Medium post accused Cuomo of kissing her without her consent, among other things, said on Twitter that she plans to start the PAC around the primary Schumer, who is eligible for re-election next year, and Gillibrand, who it is not to start until 2025 for re-election.

A nonprofit called the Gravel Institute tweeted in response to Boylan’s suggestion to be “on board”. Their Twitter account states that they are “making educational videos for the left”. Their website states that they “advocate direct democracy to achieve a just and equal society”.

Boylan did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Representatives from Schumer and Gillibrand did not respond to requests for comment.

Cuomo has denied Boylan’s allegations. He was charged with sexual harassment by several women, leading Democrats across the state to demand his resignation. A majority of the New York delegation in the House of Representatives called on Cuomo to step down on Friday.

Both New York Senators Supported the New York District Attorney’s general investigation into Cuomo’s alleged conduct, but not requested to resign.

Cuomo has denied all allegations of harassment and stated on Friday that he will not resign.

Although the Cook Political Report identifies Schumer’s race as a “solid Democrat,” an outside political action committee could complicate his race and recruit other candidates for Schumer in a democratic elementary school.

Gillibrand previously called for the then Democratic Senator Al Franken to resign when he was accused of sexual misconduct.

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Politics

Former Cuomo aide accuses governor of kissing her with out permission

Former Cuomo aide accuses governor of kissing her without permission

A former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday accused the governor of kissing her without her consent while she served as assistant secretary for economic development in 2018.

Lindsey Boylan, now a candidate for President of the Manhattan borough, published a detailed report on her allegations against her former boss in a blog post. Boylan published her harassment charges against the governor in December, though she did not go into details at the time.

Cuomo spokeswoman Caitlin Girouard said in a statement: “Ms. Boylan’s allegations of inappropriate behavior are simply false.”

In the same press release from Cuomo’s office, four other employees disputed a single detail of Boylan’s report. Boylan wrote that Cuomo said to her on the plane at a Western New York event in 2017 with the governor, press secretary, and state trooper, “Let’s play strip poker.” Cuomo’s office released a record of all flights as of October 2017 and said, “There hasn’t been a flight where Lindsey was alone with the governor, a single press officer, and an NYS soldier.”

The record shows that Boylan was on multiple flights with the governor and other staff. Boylan didn’t claim in her blog post that she was on the flight alone with the governor, a press secretary, and a state trooper. But the four Cuomo employees said in a statement included in the press release: “We were on each of those October flights and that conversation didn’t take place.”

The new details were revealed when Cuomo cracked down on allegations of mistreating data and guidelines for nursing homes at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York last year.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into nursing home deaths related to coronavirus in the state. New York attorney general Letitia James, Cuomo’s Democratic colleague, released a report last month saying the state had reported Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes of up to 50%.

Cuomo’s behavior toward colleagues was re-examined after New York MP Ron Kim accused the governor of swearing to “destroy” him after Kim criticized Cuomo’s handling of outbreaks in nursing homes. Cuomo’s senior advisor denied that Kim’s claim was true.

In her blog post on Wednesday, Boylan referred to Kim’s allegations and expanded them herself, including screenshots of emails from her time as governor.

Lindsey Boylan attends the 9th Annual Elly Awards held by the New York Women’s Forum on June 17, 2019 in New York City.

Mike Coppola | Getty Images

Boylan said after she first met the governor in 2016, her boss said Cuomo had a “crush” on her. She said she later complained to friends that he would “go out of his way to touch my lower back, arms and legs.”

She also alleged that Cuomo made “unflattering comments about the weight of female colleagues” and “mocked her at their romantic relationships and significant others”.

“I tried to apologize for his behavior,” wrote Boylan. “I told myself it was just words.” However, this changed after a face-to-face interview with the governor to keep him updated on economic and infrastructure projects. We were in his New York office on Third Avenue. When I got up to go to an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed my lips. I was shocked, but I kept walking. “

Writing that she feared a staff member saw the kiss, Boylan wrote, “The idea that someone might believe I held my high-level position because the governor had a crush on me was more humiliating than the kiss itself.”

Boylan said she announced her resignation in September 2018.

She also shared a screenshot of a 2016 email that appeared to be from Stephanie Benton, the governor’s office director. Cuomo suggested that Boylan look up pictures of his rumored ex-girlfriend because, “You could be sisters. Unless you’re the better-looking sister.”

Boylan accused high-ranking women in Cuomo’s office of creating a culture that “normalized” their boss’s behavior and called top consultant Melissa DeRosa by name. She said two other women informed her of their own experiences with the governor after posting her original allegations online in December.

“One described living in constant fear and fear of what would happen to her if she rejected the governor’s advances,” wrote Boylan. “The other said she was instructed by the governor to warn employees who pissed him off that their work could be at risk. They both told me they were too afraid to speak up.”

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Business

White Home Press Aide Resigns Over Name to Reporter

White House Press Aide Resigns Over Call to Reporter

WASHINGTON – White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo resigned Saturday after it was reported that he was using abusive and sexist language with a reporter who was working on an article about his romantic relationship with a journalist from another publication would have.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the resignation in a statement Saturday night, the day after he said Mr Ducklo would be suspended for a week without pay.

“We accepted TJ Ducklo’s resignation after speaking to him tonight,” said Ms. Psaki, noting that Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, approved the decision. “We strive every day to strive to meet the standard set by the President, to treat others with dignity and respect, with courtesy and with value to others through our words and actions.”

Ducklo, 32, had served as national press secretary during Biden’s presidential campaign, dealing frequently with reporters and serving as campaign spokesman. During the transition, Mr. Ducklo served as spokesman and was appointed deputy press officer.

His quick departure suggests that Mr. Biden was keen to avoid his communications office sinking into protracted controversy in the early days of his tenure. Several reporters asked Ms. Psaki on Friday how Mr. Ducklo could work effectively with reporters.

The resignation follows a report by Vanity Fair on Friday that reported an exchange he allegedly had with Tara Palmeri, a reporter from Politico, who contacted him about his relationship with Alexi McCammond, which was about the Biden Campaign for the online publication Axios reported.

According to the Vanity Fair report, which was later confirmed by the New York Times, Mr. Ducklo told Ms. Palmeri that if she published an article about the relationship, he would “destroy” her. He also reportedly told her that she was “jealous” of Ms. McCammond and was following the story. He used vulgar language, according to two people who knew the call.

The new Washington

Updated

Apr. 14, 2021 at 12:05 am ET

Ms. Psaki said Friday that Mr. Ducklo spoke to Ms. Palmeri and apologized and later sent a message apologizing again. Ms Psaki also said White House officials had advised senior editors at Politico that Mr Ducklo’s behavior was unacceptable.

When Mr Ducklo returned to work, he said he would not be allowed to interact with Politico reporters.

“And that was, from our point of view, a – was an important step in getting the message across that we didn’t find it acceptable,” she said at the time. She also called the week-long suspension a “severe punishment”.

However, this position did not last longer than a day.

In a statement late Saturday, Mr. Ducklo acknowledged the circumstances surrounding his release and regretted that he had used language that was “disgusting, disrespectful and unacceptable”.

“This incident is not representative of who I am as a person,” he said, “and I will be determined to regain the trust of everyone whom I have disappointed because of my intolerable actions.”

In part, the rapid change reflected the red line that Mr Biden himself had laid down for his personal conduct in his administration.

On inauguration day, the president forwarded indictments to hundreds of his political officials as he swore them in, warning that he would fire anyone he heard was disrespectful.

“If you ever work with me and I hear that you are treating another colleague with disrespect, speak to someone, I promise I will fire you immediately,” said Mr. Biden. “No ifs and buts. Everyone has the right to be treated with decency and dignity. That has been very missing in the last four years. “

When asked Friday whether Mr Ducklo’s behavior met this standard, Ms. Psaki said, “It is not our standard – it is not the President’s standard.” But she refused to say at the time why he shouldn’t be released.