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Minnesota GOP donor facing trial for sex trafficking deploys Trump defense - "It's political" [1]
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Date: 2023-03-20
Anton "Tony" Lazzaro (on right) with co-defendent Gisela Castro Medina, both charged in Minnesota sex-trafficking case.
From CBS NEWS:
MINNEAPOLIS - A formerly well-connected Republican donor, accused of plying petite, vulnerable teenage girls with cash, liquor and gifts, goes on trial Tuesday on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. Anton "Tony" Lazzaro is charged with seven counts involving "commercial sex acts" with five minors ages 15 and 16 in 2020, when he was 30 years old. His indictment touched off a political firestorm that led to the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota. His co-defendant, Gisela Castro Medina, who formerly led the College Republicans chapter at the University of St. Thomas, pleaded guilty to two counts last year. She is cooperating with prosecutors and will testify against him. She faces sentencing in August. READ MORE: Anton Lazzaro to remain detained until trial on charges he paid underage victims for sex, judge rules
Here’s the kicker:
Lazzaro denies the sex-trafficking allegations. He says the government targeted him for political reasons and because of his wealth.
emphasis added
It looks like “politicized justice” is now going to be the default defense by Republicans caught criming anywhere for anything.
"Mr. Lazzaro believes he is being targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice for his political activities," spokeswoman Stacy Bettison said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The unusual application of the federal sex trafficking statute to the facts in Mr. Lazzaro's case supports his beliefs. He is not alone in his view that the U.S. Department of Justice is politicizing prosecutions. Many other individuals, including many members of Congress and most recently the Senate Judiciary Committee, have recently raised legitimate and credible concerns that Attorney General (Merrick) Garland is politicizing the department by aggressively investigating Republicans and conservative activists, like Mr. Lazzaro."
An AP report has additional links about the chaos inflicted on the Minnesota Republican Party and Jennifer Carnahan.
.. His indictment touched off a political firestorm that led to the downfall of Jennifer Carnahan as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota.
The Young Republicans connection lends itself to speculation about whether this is an example of the ‘grooming’ in schools that has GOP knickers in a twist — because you know GOP projection is all about accusing others of what they do. Also, wealthy/connected Republican paying for sex — where have we heard that before?
Read the whole CBS report for the details on what Lazzro is alleged to have done. It’s not pretty. Republican slanders about “Pedos” are a pretty blatant case of projection if Lazzaro is anything to go by.
IF you’ve got a strong stomach, Lazzaro has put together a website loudly proclaiming his innocence, claiming “HERE ARE THE FACTS THE FEDS DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW:” followed by over the top bull shit, including nasty slanders against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) that are truly vile. (If Lazzaro didn’t put it together, someone seems to know way too much about him.)
It’s also pretty clear evidence that he must be a nightmare of a client for anyone who has to defend him in court. The message at the bottom of his website below all the CT reads like a Trump tweet. It would be pathetic if it wasn’t so revealing. Here’s a screen shot in case it gets taken down later.
Here’s the text in case it’s too hard to read:
CONCLSUION : Tony Lazzaro is an Extremely Kind and Generous Individual. He is not a Criminal, and certainly not a “Sex Trafficker”. The facts show that Tony has donated HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars to charities, GoFundMe efforts / those in need, and political causes. He does so because that's who he is. He has never sought any favors from any politicians or anyone. Tony's generosity has touched the lives of literally hundreds of people (and pets!). Anyone who has met Tony knows what a bighearted individual he is. His generosity towards anyone he has had a private intimate relationship with simply does not constitute anything remotely close to “sex trafficking” or any criminal behavior whatsoever. Thank you for taking the time to read this page!
Here’s the kicker at the bottom — the disclaimer:
Disclaimer: This website is operated by friends of Anton (Tony) Lazzaro. All content on this website is protected by the First Amendment and based 100% on genuine facts. Any opinion on this page does not necessarily represent the views of Mr. Lazzaro or his legal team. For any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Thank you for reading! Contact the Webmaster Media Contact
The only thing missing is a button to click on to contribute to his legal defense. The media contact is for email to his spokesperson, Stacy Bettison.
More and more, it’s getting hard to tell the difference between the Republican Party and organized crime. What makes the Lazzaro website fascinating is that it gives a look into how Republicans react to being caught, the strategies they resort to by default: denial, tossing out bullshit to “flood the zone”, and attacking others while playing the victim card.
Well, if Mr. Lazzaro has done nothing wrong, he has nothing to worry about, right?
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