No, it isn't "obvious". Why would anyone need to smear him? No one takes him seriously. He is recognized as a joke - nothing more than a suck up who likes to scream non sequiturs and go on rants so he can post sound-bites and make a spectacle. Remember when he came to Congress wearing a gas mask to make a joke out of COVID? Remember when he was arrested for a DUI but got his daddy to remove the charges and make it all go away? Remember when he lied about having a son of color so he could yell at a black congressman, and then made up a whole story about adopting his ex's brother?

Why would he even need to be smeared? He is going away on his own. He isn't going to be in Congress anymore, he is going to be a joke anchor on Newsmax.

I can fully believe he is guilty of the crimes levied against him, but we will see where the investigations end up.

@JacksonNought Believe the New York Times if you choose. I don't.

Well the you do remember your insane conspiracy theory Trump-Russia.

@Tom81 who is ignoring sex scandals from the Left? If I recall, Anthony Weiner, a firm defender of civil rights, was forced to go away for a sex scandal. Eliot Spitzer, a Democratic governor, was forced to go away for a sex scandal. John Edwards, a contender in the presidential races, was forced to go away because he cheated on his wife with cancer. Al Franken was forced to go away for crude jokes.

Now let's see... if I remember, Newt Gingrich never had to go away for cheating on his wife with cancer? Even served her divorced papers on her death bed. Scott DesJarlais admitted to cheating on his wife, sleeping with his patients as a doctor, and forcing his mistresses to get abortions despite being staunchly pro-life... he wasn't forced to go away, and was even re-elected after this all came to light. Roy Moore wasn't forced to go away after it was revealed he was a pedophile - even Trump supported him. Jim Jordan is a popular senator and one of the biggest Trump supporters - for years he covered up sexual abuse at OSU while acting as the assistant wrestling coach, yet he wasn't forced to go away. And then of course there is the big one - Donald Trump - who won the presidency and is still the face of the Republican party, despite all of the sexual abuse and pedophilia accusations against him, serial adultery, paying hush money to a porn star... the list goes on.

So I guess it is actually convenient to ignore the sex scandals from your side, eh? It's been the reality for decades that Democrats have to "go away" when they make inappropriate jokes or have affairs, but the Republicans - the party of "righteous moral family values" - get to stick around after they are shown to be nothing but hypocrites who don't believe what they are selling. You sit here and cry about Hunter Biden, who isn't an elected representative and has no role in government, but staunchly defend Donald Trump and his children, who do have roles in government. It's quite laughable.

@JacksonNought your argument is mute - I've never defended republicans. Or any side of politics. Couldn't care less for either, but I see the dems doing more damage.
And once again, you use issues of sexual abuse into a game of political game scoring. Which to me proves that you only care as far as its expedient to your political cause.

@Tom81 I posted about a potential federal crime committed by a current US congressman. You brought up Hunter Biden, and made up a false narrative of unequal consequences based on political party, which I summarily destroyed. You are the one trying to score political points here.

Oh, and it is moot, not mute.

@JacksonNought you haven't destroyed anything, you've barely addressed it. I haven't made any narratives about unequal consequences. I've stated that I couldn't care less about either side. The point I was making (which you're trying hard to avoid) is that you're only 'outraged' because its politically expedient. If this turns out to be false, I'm sure you'll be very silent on it. If it's proven to be true, I'm sure you'll bring it up ad nauseam

@Tom81 all quotes from you:

"I guess it's convenient to ignore all the sex scandals from your side?"

"It's never an issue for your lot till you can exploit it and point the finger."

"It's always an issue when the people who commit these things are on the other side."

"You will defend the immoral when it's your side, and be the first to point the finger at the other side."

"You don't have an issue with it, till you can politically exploit it."

So yeah, you made a narrative that the Left / Democrats, and me individually, ignore any kind of sex scandal from our "side" while only calling out issues on the other "side". And I did indeed destroy your narrative, by showing how it is your "side" which is hypocritical, as the Left constantly needs to disappear for the slightest misstep, but the Right gets to stay in power no matter what they do. You are only defending Gaetz, and for some reason bringing up Hunter Biden, because it is politically expedient for you.

@JacksonNought I don't have a side
How much clearer can I make that for you. I don't support either side, Republicans included. Individuals I can get behind, but not parties. So no, I don't have a narrative, and you haven't destroyed a thing. I never defended Gaetz either - that's your narrative that I'm defending the 'Right'.

@Tom81 you accused me, and "the Left", of only pointing out sex scandals or calling for justice / consequences when it is the other side, aka "the Right". That is the narrative you spun with your initial comment. I proved you wrong. That's the long and short of it.

@JacksonNought yes because your posts are just brimming with calling out the 'Left' when they do something wrong, just like mine are all about defending the 'Right'.
"Anthony Weiner, a firm defender of civil rights, was forced to go away for a sex scandal." That's a nice way of spinning a convicted sex offender who went to jail. Do you have a soft spot for pedos? But I suppose there's no bias on your side and no narrative in any of your posts.

@Tom81 was Weiner not a firm defender of civil rights? Was Franken not a tough Democrat holding Republicans accountable for their actions? Those facts don't change because of any sex scandals or misdeeds. Just as you could call out Gaetz's strong Conservative convictions or DesJarlais's strong pro-life stance despite any sex scandals and misdeeds they committed.

The point I was making was that despite the importance to the Progressive cause, no matter how much of a strong ally a member of "the Left" was, they were still forced to go away, no matter how severe the scandal. Hell, Democrat Katie Hill had to step down for having a consensual relationship with a staffer, especially when a Conservative website leaked nude photos of her.

Compare that to members of "the Right" who can somehow get away with anything "for the cause". Donald Trump was everything the Republican base hated - a New York elite, a serial philander, accused of rape and pedophilia, cheated on his wife with a porn star after she just gave birth and paid hush money to keep it from coming out during his campaign... yet he became the fact of the Republican party. Hell, unless a Republican comes out as gay or an Atheist they usually get to stick around.

At least you finally admit you have a narrative.

@JacksonNought the only narrative I have is anti socialist/communist, anti authoritarian and anti identity politics. Everything else I judge on a case by case basis without taking sides because of 'Left' or 'Right'.