Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks out against sexual predators while under investigation for sex trafficking


Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was once famous for having the biggest forehead this side of the mighty Mississippi. That changed when news of a sex trafficking probe into the congressman dropped, leading to a year of side-eyes and creepy revelations. So, it's fair to say that his testimony in favor of a law that would protect people from sexual predators in the workplace raised a few eyebrows.

To be clear, Gaetz is in the right here. Sometimes libertarians see their way into some good positions, like getting rid of some of the more draconian aspects of the government as part of their "throw it all away" ethos. (A recent example in Gaetz's favor is his unabashed support of the #FreeBritney movement.) And the concept of forced arbitration, where a wronged party is forced to go before a private group of arbiters rather than a public court, is evil and needs to be done away with. 


Still, it's hard to watch Gaetz — whose ex-girlfriend is currently testifying against him in a federal investigation into possible sex trafficking — say these words with a straight face.


Gaetz did end up voting for the bill to end forced arbitration and it passed the house. So, it's safe to say he may have learned something from the backlash against being the only person to vote against a bill targeting human trafficking.





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