Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — who’s the subject of a federal sex trafficking investigation — shared some, shall we say, insightful remarks Monday during debate over a House bill that would end forced arbitration in sexual assault and harassment lawsuits.
Essentially, forced arbitration is a binding agreement that requires employees to settle disputes through private arbiters rather than through the courts. The proceedings are often confidential. Increasingly, with the rise of the #MeToo movement, forced arbitration has been seen as an exploitive way for corporate abusers to silence their victims.
Gaetz was one of 113 Republicans to join Democrats in voting to pass the bill. But his remarks about censuring sexual harassers and abusers raised eyebrows given the allegations against him.
The FBI is investigating whether Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl and whether he paid for women to travel across state lines to have sex with him, which would be sex trafficking. Gaetz has denied the allegations.
Last year, multiple sources told CNN that he showed members of Congress pictures and videos of naked women who he said he had slept with. (Gaetz did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.)
If true, that behavior would constitute, you know, sexual harassment.
Gaetz vowed last month to investigate the investigators working on his sex trafficking case if Republicans win the House in November.
So accountability for abuse seems to be an open question with this one.
Nonetheless, feel free to give Gaetz’s remarks a watch here and see whether you can keep a straight face:
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