Republic
Representative Matt Gaetz is the focus of an investigation by the Florida Bar.
Matt Gaetz recently threatened Michael Cohen before his testimony at Congress.
The Florida Bar is checking to see whether these threats crossed any
professional conduct guidelines.
The Florida
Bar is responsible for licensing lawyers in the state. They have yet to reveal
any information learned in the investigation, however, spokesperson for the
Florida Bar, Francine Walker, spoke on the Bar’s investigation and Gaetz’s
comments.
Walker further
went on and stated that if they find evidence of any sort of rule violation,
the Florida Bar promises to pursue legal action through the Florida Supreme
Court. As of Wednesday, Gaetz reportedly was unaware of the ongoing
investigation.
Matt
Gaetz is an
attorney licensed in Florida and a vocal supporter of President Trump. He
recently came under criticism for releasing a tweet that seemingly threatened
Michael Cohen. In the tweet, he guaranteed personal payback.
Cohen’s
testimony has been damaging to Trump, and Cohen has stated that the current
President took part in illicit activity throughout his election campaign.
The tweet,
which is now deleted, mentioned Cohen’s family and personal life. Gaetz
immediately defended his action by stating that it was not out of the norm for
individuals to speak in such a manner. Gaetz has said that the implied threat
was not at all intentional.
Later, Gaetz
went on to apologize for his tweet. He has expressed remorse for involving the
family and personal life of Michael Cohen. The Florida Bar will look at his
actions in detail.
The Florida
Bar has strict guidelines regarding the ethical actions of their licensed
attorneys (another example of ethical violations sanction is the case against Felix Sater, this
time coming from the NY Bar). Once the Bar has made a decision regarding the
alleged conduct, Gaetz will have a little over two weeks to reply.
After this
response, lawyers representing the Florida Bar will continue an investigation
into the issue. The Florida Bar’s grievance committee will then take its
finding from the investigation to the Florida Supreme Court. The Florida
Supreme Court then examines the results and makes a ruling on the case.
Sanctions may even be applied to Republic Representative Matt Gaetz.
Lawyers around
the United States have chimed in on the matter. Some have agreed that Matt
Gaetz did engage in a type of witness intimidation by mentioning Cohen’s
family. The wording he used in his tweet has potential legal ramifications for
Gaetz. The last line of his tweet is what could land him in legal hot water.
The implication of his last line can take on an intimidating meaning for
Cohen’s wife.
The Florida
Bar officially states that their licensed law practitioners cannot use the
results of law proceedings for illegitimate purposes. They should also not be
used to harass or intimidate individuals as they please. These guidelines for
behavior also fall into the lawyer’s personal life. The public statements they
make all fall under the guidelines of the Florida Bar.
Lawyers are
equally responsible for challenging the legal process as much as they are for
defending it.
0 comments :
Post a Comment