Matt Gaetz, Bill Barr and Oleg Deripaska

Was Matt Gaetz blowing up the "extortion plot" planned all along?

No. Bill Barr did not “open an investigation” into Matt Gaetz. The spin is intense, but it needs to be sat on, badly. The FBI opened an investigation into Matt Gaetz and they briefed Bill Barr, who, very carefully, told the news he “did not object” to the investigation.

All that means is that Barr, faced with overwhelming evidence, did not demand the FBI “do a Flynn” and drop a just prosecution. Did Barr help? Hell no. If he helped, you bet he’d be spinning it, as fast as he could, to the news media. Instead, all he told them (and it was him, speaking on background) was “I did not object”, in that smug, glutinous way he has of smiling, the implication hanging in the air that he couldn’t wait to get stuck in and send Matt to jail.

Only that’s not what happened. Despite clearly having testimony, at least one cooperating witness and photos and videos, the FBI got no closer to charging Matt Gaetz until just recently. But Joe Biden has been President since Jan 21st, you say. Sure - but Merrick Garland was only confirmed just recently - only just recently has a new Attorney General been able to overrule the policies of the old one. All of a sudden, the prosecution against Matt Gaetz becomes unstuck - which indicates that not only did Bill Barr not ‘help out’, he actively slowed the investigation down.

Meanwhile, Gaetz muddies the waters with lurid tales, backed up by letters and emails, of someone “extorting” his father over a “$25m bring back Robert Levinson scheme” which was imported wholesale from a disinformation story planted in The Hill by discredited Russian and Rudy Giuliani shill John Solomon whereby Oleg Derpiaska would get his visa restored if he ponied up $20 million to free Bob Levinson - just as Matt Gaetz’s daddy would now pony up $25m to do.

But, of course, a false promise to go rescue an American hostage who is likely dead - something reported before the accession of Joe Biden to the Presidency, even though Biden is mentioned in the “extortion letter” - would also be a crime. If the “former DOJ official” said they had “evidence that Matt Gaetz would be indicted on [string of underage victim sex crimes]” and they wanted $25m to make it go away, that would be a crime too, independent of Matt Gaetz’ crimes.

But Gaetz blew this all up on Tucker Carlson and in the press the next morning, releasing the letter, and the US LE letter to his father’s lawyer, confirming involvement at the request of the FBI.

Oh Noes! By mistake, Matt Gaetz “blew up” “an ongoing investigation”!

Let’s not be naive. This letter was written to help Matt Gaetz, to taint known forthcoming allegations against him, with a tired, well-trodden “scheme” that makes no sense. But in order to assure his - presumable - buddies who did this for him get in no trouble, Matt Gaetz needed to make sure that no criminal investigation could result. He needed to blow up what existed - and blow it up he did. “Extorter” gets off freely and Matt Gaetz gets some small shred of cover for his gross crimes against children and women.

Let’s hope Chris Wray isn’t as naive as the prime time talk shows. Matt Gaetz thought he was rich, white, MAGA and invincible. He needs to be shown he was wrong.