Latest news with #Gaetz
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump moving closer to decision on making weed less criminal in eyes of federal government: sources
It isn't quite the ruckus involving the Jeffrey Epstein docs, but there is a quieter, more important conflict inside Trump world over weed — namely whether the president should legalize it and just how legal it should be, The Post has learned And according to my sources, Trump is in a compromising mood. He appears to be moving closer to making a decision in the coming weeks to make weed something less criminal in the eyes of the federal government. Advertisement Trump is ready, several MAGA pro-pot sources tell me, to make a decision on at least reclassifying weed as a so-called Schedule III drug, putting it on par with semi-controlled substances like anabolic steroids. Not to get too far into the proverbial weeds, but Pot Inc. wants marijuana reclassified so it's not being lumped in with hard drugs like heroin — and it's a drama these pages first covered in late April. That way this booming business continues to grow with access to the banking system as cultural norms continue to shift and the majority of Americans see pot as no more dangerous than booze. Tax revenues would flow into federal coffers as the industry expands. Trump appears to be moving closer to making a decision in the coming weeks to make weed something less criminal in the eyes of the federal government. AFP via Getty Images There are headwinds. Many MAGA types believe pot is leading to cultural rot. Breeding a population of stoners isn't good for the country since the pot today is far stronger than the joints Cheech & Chong rolled years ago. Advertisement Trump barely drinks and personally hates anything that dulls the senses. He's a law-and-order guy — witness his takeover of DC policing over quality-of-life issues, including the persistent smell of pot almost everywhere you walk. That said, the president seems to be leaning toward a compromise on federal legalization, including allowing for medical use based on evidence of its efficacy in severe pain relief. He's also said to be compelled by the business and the political argument of going soft on pot. He's done that before, doing his famous 180 on crypto for votes during the 2024 election and delivering with deregulation that is propelling the blockchain industry. Advertisement There are an estimated 17 million-plus Americans who use pot regularly, and Trump understands math. The pot lobby could help in key races as the midterms approach. MAGA loyalist Matt Gaetz, the former Florida congressman and Trump's initial pick for attorney general, is one who believes embracing pot would further expand Trump's base among working-class people of all races, where pot u sage is most prevalent. 'President Trump would cement [these voters] for Republicans for 25 years by 'rescheduling' marijuana,' Gaetz said. 'Obama always wanted to do it but didn't have the balls.' Gaetz added that Biden with his 'autopen presidency' was too busy destroying the country to care. 'This is yet another opportunity for Trump to notch a generational win where Ob- ama and Joe Biden failed.' Advertisement Longtime hedge fund trader Marc Cohodes is even more adamant about legalizing marijuana. He is both an investor in Pot Inc. and a medical user after shoulder surgery. 'If he totally legalizes, Trump will totally destroy the Democratic Party,' Cohodes tells me. 'Polls show that most Americans want this legalized. Trump will turn the GOP into the people's party.' Trump's options include totally 'declassifying' pot, making it 100% legal in the eyes of federal law. He could also 'reschedule' pot as a 'Schedule III' controlled substance, along the lines of anabolic steroids and other drugs that the feds have modestly blessed for specific medical-related uses. If he does nothing, pot would r emain a Schedule I drug, where the federal government views it as a highly controlled substance. Up to $60 billion annually The various distinctions matter for the pot industry, which is estimated to rake in between $40 billion and $60 billion a year. While marijuana is fully legal or decriminalized in most states, without the federal government taking it off the Schedule I list it can't be 'banked.' Wall Street shies away from underwriting the stock of any company that in Pot Inc. parlance 'touches the plant.' If Wall Street can begin underwriting pot stocks, financing US-based growers, for example, Pot Inc. could grow exponentially. Still, legalization skeptics on Trump's team will have a say. New Drug Enforcement Administration chief Terry Cole is a veteran at an agency with a long anti-pot bias. Advertisement Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the head of the Department of Health and H uman Services, has spoken about decriminalizing weed but also how there are negative health effects from consuming the 'high-potency' stuff. Many critics say today's bud has hallucinogenic effects, and could be a gateway to more dangerous stuff like opioids. That's why Gaetz thinks Trump won't go for full legalization and allow it only for medical use. Ditto for longtime Trump political guru Roger Stone. 'I don't think he ever completely de-schedules it, which is what I would do,' Stone tells me. Advertisement Cohodes says not going all the way would be a mistake. First, banking for Pot Inc. would remain difficult if it is only re- scheduled. Plus, making it totally legal could help decimate a major source of income for the various drug cartels. It would be age-restricted by the government. 'By eliminating prohibition, illegal cartels get removed because legal businesses not currently banked become bankable,' Cohodes said.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Jeffrey Epstein files: Republican Lauren Boebert demands probe into ‘client list'; suggests former Attorney General Matt Gaetz to lead investigation
Representative Lauren Boebert has called for a special counsel investigation into the case and suggested that former Attorney General Matt Gaetz should lead it, as reported by the Independent. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, said Gaetz would be a suitable person to uncover the "truth" about Epstein's death and the alleged 'client list' of powerful individuals connected to him. Supporters of President have expressed frustration after the Justice Department and FBI stated there was no credible evidence that such a list exists. Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier died by suicide in his prison cell on August 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Many conspiracy theories have claimed that Epstein had a secret list of well-known people to whom he trafficked underage girls. 'There has to be a special investigation into this if we aren't going to be provided information,' Boebert said on Tuesday during an appearance on The Benny Show. 'I want answers and maybe that takes that special counsel to do so. Maybe Matt Gaetz can lead the special counsel.' Gaetz, 43, was once President Trump's top choice for attorney general. However, his nomination was dropped after he was accused of paying for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz denied any wrongdoing and had later withdrawn from the nomination. A December House Ethics Committee report found "substantial evidence" that Gaetz had engaged in sexual misconduct, drug use and other rule violations while serving in Congress. The committee found that he violated "other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.' Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After the podcast, Boebert posted on social media platform X, asking Gaetz directly if he would consider her suggestion. 'We deserve the truth about the Epstein Files. I'm ready for a Special Counsel to handle this, MattGaetz, how about it?', Boebert wrote in a post on X. Gaetz, who now hosts a show on Newsmax and often supports Attorney General Pam Bondi, has not publicly responded to Boebart's post. Boebert also said she supports calling , Epstein's longtime associate, to testify. 'Of course we want answers,' she said. 'No one is satisfied with what has been received or the lack of information. No one is happy with how this has been handled.' Outrage among MAGA supporters has continued. Last week the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo that there was no client list and no additional files relating to the case would be made public. Most case files remain sealed to protect Epstein's victims and only a small portion would have been made public if the case had gone to trial. The memo also stated that investigators did not find enough evidence to charge any unindicted individuals connected to the case. Meanwhile, Trump, who had pledged to release the Epstein files during his campaign, said the case was 'boring' in remarks to reporters Tuesday. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Trump said. 'It's pretty boring stuff. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.' Democrats tried to force a House vote to release the Epstein files, but Republicans blocked the effort.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Lauren Boebert wants Matt Gaetz to lead special counsel investigation into Epstein files
Rep. Lauren Boebert wants failed Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz to lead a special counsel investigation into the Epstein files. The Colorado Republican suggested the former congressman was an appropriate figure to deliver the 'truth' surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, including his 'client list,' which MAGA has been up and arms about after the Department of Justice and FBI said they found no credible evidence it exists. Epstein died by suicide in his prison cell on August 10, 2019, and has long been the subject of conspiracy theories that he kept a secret list of famous and powerful people to whom he trafficked underage girls for sex. MAGA is deeply unhappy over the Trump administration's handling of the case. 'There has to be a special investigation into this if we aren't going to be provided information,' Boebert said Tuesday on The Benny Show. 'I want answers and maybe that takes that special counsel to do so. Maybe Matt Gaetz can lead the special counsel.' Gaetz, 43, was President Donald Trump's first pick for attorney general but his nomination was derailed over allegations that he paid for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz, who denies any wrongdoing, withdrew from the nomination in mid-November after the uproar, but a bombshell House Ethics Committee report published in December detailed his alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use while he was in Congress. Lauren Boebert suggested that former congressman Matt Gaetz was an appropriate figure to deliver the 'truth' surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death. (Getty Images) The committee determined there was 'substantial evidence' that Gaetz violated House rules 'and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.' After appearing on the podcast, Boebert asked Gaetz directly if he would consider her suggestion. 'We deserve the truth about the Epstein Files. I'm ready for a Special Counsel to handle this,' Boebert wrote in a post on X. '@MattGaetz, how about it?' Gaetz, who often backs his replacement Attorney General Pam Bondi on his Newsmax show, didn't publicly respond to Boebert's post. Boebert also told MAGA host Benny Johnson that she is 'absolutely' in favor of getting Epstein's madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, to testify. 'Of course we want answers. No one is satisfied with what has been received or lack thereof. No one is satisfied with the rollout of this,' she said. Boebert asked Gaetz if he would consider her suggestion in a post on X. ' I'm ready for a Special Counsel to handle this,' Boebert said. '@MattGaetz, how about it?' (Getty Images) MAGA outrage over the Epstein files has rumbled on for more than a week, despite the White House's attempts to put a lid on it. Last week the Justice Department and FBI issued a memo that there was no client list and no additional files relating to the case would be made public. The agencies had determined that no 'further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted,' much was sealed by a court to protect Epstein's victims, and 'only a fraction of it 'would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.' Additionally, the memo said that no further charges were expected as investigators 'did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.' Trump, who pledged to release the Epstein files during his campaign, said the case was 'boring' in remarks to reporters Tuesday. 'I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody,' Trump said. 'It's pretty boring stuff. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.' Democrats have also seized upon the upset and attempted to force a vote Tuesday in the House to release the files but it was blocked by Republicans.
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Gaetz responds to McCarthy's quip at Hill Nation Summit: ‘Get help'
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told Kevin McCarthy to 'get help' Wednesday after the former House Speaker from California said that his life is better after leaving Congress because Gaetz isn't in it. 'This is so sad, Kevin,' Gaetz wrote on the social platform X along with a video of McCarthy's remarks at the Hill Nation Summit. 'Get help. Move on.' 'You don't have to always be thinking about me,' he added. McCarthy, who has been in a prolonged feud with Gaetz, said at the summit that his postcongressional life was 'fabulous.' 'We don't have Matt Gaetz anymore,' he said, drawing laughs from the crowd. Gaetz retired from Congress after President Trump nominated him last fall to become the nation's Attorney General, but Gaetz's nomination was pulled after failing to gain traction for confirmation in the Senate. McCarthy, meanwhile, retired from the House after he was ousted from his leadership post in 2023. Gaetz was a vocal proponent of the removal effort.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arts to estuaries, here are the Pensacola-area projects that survived DeSantis' veto pen
Northwest Florida received approximately $15.7 million worth of individual projects that survived Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto pen in the 2026 budget. DeSantis signed the budget on June 30 and vetoed $600 million out of the total $115 billion budget, which took effect on July 1. Local legislators had about $8 million worth of projects vetoed by DeSantis. What DeSantis cut: DeSantis kills $8 million in Pensacola-area projects as part of $600 million veto list Here's a list of what made it through: $350,000 for AMR Pensacola Homes for Veterans - sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz $3.5 million for Andrews Institute Research for regenerative medicine - sponsored by Gaetz $90,000 for Baker Fire District communications upgrade - sponsored by Gaetz $1.5 million for the Blue Angels Foundation funding for critical veterans services, sponsored by Gaetz $3.5 million Connection the Collectors environmental impact for improving traffic in the Navarre area - sponsored by Gaetz $125,000 for Historic Pensacola - sponsored by Gaetz and Rep. Michelle Salzman $2 million for Next Gen Innovated at Northwest Florida State College - sponsored by Gaetz $646,000 for Pensacola Little Theatre Family Arts Education Expansion - sponsored by Gaetz and Rep. Alex Andrade $400,000 for The Arc Gateway Pearl Nelson Center - sponsored by Gaetz and Andrade $750,000 for Re-Entry Alliance Pensacola - sponsored by Gaetz and Andrade $400,000 for Jay Business Park stormwater pond - sponsored by Andrade $975,000 for the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program - sponsored by Andrade This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: $15.7 million in Northwest Florida projects approved in state budget
