Jerry Falwell Jr. and the Pool Attendant

[DomWackTroll]

Oh, sorry-- that should be "22-year-old male pool attendant." 

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/aramroston/jerry-falwell-jr-michael-cohen-pool-attendant-lawsuit

[Howl]

Yes, this is a story from months ago that has resurfaced and is gaining traction.  Lots and lots of traction.

The hostel (120 beds) in question is a real estate deal for $4.65 million large.  I know I have brand new friends that would stake me $4.65 million to buy a hostel without a second thought, even though I have ZIP, ZERO, NADA experience with real estate deals or running a 120-bed hotel.

 I keed. I keed.  No sane person does that. 

I feel kinda sad for the kid, who will be forever referred to as the pool boy.  And if pool boy has a Grindr account.....

Edited December 12, 2018 by Howl

[DomWackTroll]

18 minutes ago, Howl said:

Yes, this is a story from months ago that has resurfaced and is gaining traction.  Lots and lots of traction.

Yeah, why is it suddenly all over social media now? I can't recall seeing anything about it back when the article was first published. 

As far as the youthful business partner, I suppose he could have been Mrs. Falwell's buddy, but something about the phrase "Miami pool boy" kinda screams "gay" to me. My money's on Falwell Jr. or the son. 

[apple1]

Yes - That story is from May of this year - and I hadn't even seen or heard of it then.

I want to know what revived it now, and I want to know the missing pieces. There are so many pieces missing.

[Evangeline]

I guess we're supposed to infer that Falwell Jr. is involved sexually with this person? If so, it's kind of screaming for some kind of follow-up, or evidence or... something. 

[DomWackTroll]

1 hour ago, Evangeline said:

I guess we're supposed to infer that Falwell Jr. is involved sexually with this person? If so, it's kind of screaming for some kind of follow-up, or evidence or... something. 

The author is certainly inviting-- almost begging, IMO-- the reader to connect the dots and infer that there was some sort of blackmail on Cohen's part. But I thought Falwell Jr.'s endorsement of Trump was fishy long before I read this. It just never made sense to me. So many conservative Christians still hated Trump at that time, and it would have been so easy for Falwell Jr. to just say, "Of course I'm a conservative, but I'll let conservative voters decide, yada yada yada." But for some reason he didn't, and that made me very suspicious. 

[Evangeline]

3 hours ago, DomWackTroll said:

The author is certainly inviting-- almost begging, IMO-- the reader to connect the dots and infer that there was some sort of blackmail on Cohen's part. But I thought Falwell Jr.'s endorsement of Trump was fishy long before I read this. It just never made sense to me. So many conservative Christians still hated Trump at that time, and it would have been so easy for Falwell Jr. to just say, "Of course I'm a conservative, but I'll let conservative voters decide, yada yada yada." But for some reason he didn't, and that made me very suspicious. 

Yes, that does seem to be what he's going for. I just wish there was a little more to go on. Perhaps this will inspire some more scrutiny.

I'll admit It did not occur to me that Falwell's endorsement was strange. His father was a racist asshole of the highest order, so while I hadn't followed Jr. at all, it seemed about right. 

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Evangeline

[Leftitinmysnood]

I actually saw this article first, from August of 2017: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/25/jerry-falwell-miami-hostel-liberty-university-trey-falwell-215528

[apple1]

10 hours ago, Evangeline said:

Yes, that does seem to be what he's going for. I just wish there was a little more to go on. Perhaps this will inspire some more scrutiny.

I'll admit It did not occur to me that Falwell's endorsement was strange. His father was a racist asshole of the highest order, so while I hadn't followed Jr. at all, it seemed about right. 

 

In spite of his horrible characteristics, Falwell Sr. as a person also had some good qualities personally (seriously). I personally know people he helped (long story that I don't care to write now). HOWEVER - Falwell Jr. has all of Sr's bad qualities and more, and none of Sr's good qualities. I have watched this (from afar, of course) for quite a while.

It's interesting that Falwell Sr left the university to Jerry Jr's control. Pastoring the church (Thomas Road Baptist Church) was specifically left to brother Jonathan Falwell. I think there were specific reasons that even Sr did not want Jr as pastor of the church. (Sr had functioned as de facto head of both university and pastor of the church).

As for the story at the top of this thread - I still think there are a bunch of missing pieces and the real story needs them to be properly put together. It may well be, quite possibly is, what has been hinted at - but we need the missing pieces.

 

And FTR Falwell Jr is a blight on the name of Christianity, even without this particular mess. Very embarrassing to some of us who call ourselves Christian.

[Evangeline]

@apple1 thanks for the info! The Falwell father and son sound a lot like Billy and Franklin Graham, in that Franklin has pretty much no redeeming qualities. He's a Christian celebrity (and millionaire) by birth and people listen to him as if he's earned some sort of credibility. 

[refugee]

If I’m remembering right, a commenter on Wartburg Watch occasionally mentions Falwell Sr. as being warm, personable and caring. Like remembering students’ names and details about their lives when they’d encounter him on campus.

(I could be wrong, though. I’ll admit I mix up names of people I haven’t met but only heard about. But I’m pretty sure about this.)

[Coconut Flan]

I met Falwell Sr back in the 60s/very early 70s before he tried to take over the evangelical world and he seemed like a normal, friendly rather gregarious SBC minister.  He appeared to be down to earth and sincerely interested in people.  The key for me was SBC as I'm allergic to becoming a Baptist, but I made several visits to a friend from college whose family attended his church.

[hoipolloi]

Thank you, @Leftitinmysnood, the 2017 Politico article on the hostel, its ownership & history is fascinating and makes the pool attendant story (both in May and now) much more significant. 

Yep -- where there's smoke (or should I say smock?), there's fire! ???

[treemom]

There are a few of us FJians who attended Liberty while Sr. was still alive.  I have described it as just utter cognitive dissonance about him.  He was one of the kindest most genuine warm people I had ever met, but he clearly wasn’t when I heard him speak on the number of subjects he was a bigot on.

 

but Jr? He’s gross,  he’s always been gross, he’s in it for the money.

[Howl]

11 hours ago, treemom said:

He was one of the kindest most genuine warm people I had ever met, but he clearly wasn’t when I heard him speak on the number of subjects he was a bigot on.

"Many people" describe Douglas Wilson this way, and claim that he's warm and sincere and you'd like him if you met him in person.  That may be true for some, but his beliefs manifested in his wordsmithy writings are toxic, cruel, dismissive, misogynistic, patronizing, dogmatic....

[wotdancer]

11 hours ago, treemom said:

There are a few of us FJians who attended Liberty while Sr. was still alive.  I have described it as just utter cognitive dissonance about him.  He was one of the kindest most genuine warm people I had ever met, but he clearly wasn’t when I heard him speak on the number of subjects he was a bigot on.

 

but Jr? He’s gross,  he’s always been gross, he’s in it for the money.

I'm in the weird group that started at Liberty when Sr was alive, and he passed away while I was there and I saw Jr come into power. He was adorably awkward at the beginning; he'd make freudian slips, or just say things that were strange to hear as a super-sheltered/living-with-all-the-rules Liberty student (for example, one day he was telling a story about a conversation he and his wife Becky had, and he just casually mentioned "we were taking a shower, and..." - the rest of the story doesn't matter when you have sexually repressed young adults listening hahaha).

But to the more material point - yes, it was always strange to see Sr in person, where he truly was kind and warm and grandfatherly, and then to contrast that with the hellfire and brimstone bigotry. And once Jr got over his public speaking/being in charge learning curve, he changed from making funny awkward comments to being a total asswipe. I truly hope he goes down somehow in the Trump whirlpool of doom.

[treemom]

3 hours ago, Howl said:

"Many people" describe Douglas Wilson this way, and claim that he's warm and sincere and you'd like him if you met him in person.  That may be true for some, but his beliefs manifested in his wordsmithy writings are toxic, cruel, dismissive, misogynistic, patronizing, dogmatic....

I just want to clarify and make sure everyone understands I was not defending Sr.  I sat at convocation three times a week to hear his bigotry.  I knew what he thought and it’s disgusting.  However, Sr. had good qualities, I won’t call them redeeming because he can’t redeem the damage and hurt and pain he caused so many.  Jr does not have, and never has had, those good qualities.  Sr. also demonstrated the ability to be swayed and change his bigotry based on moral arguments, Jr, well...expletive him.

 

I am am less forgiving of Jr’s little slip ups that the previous poster because I was on the debate team and had exposure to him before a lot of the LU students did.  He was a creep.  Those slip ups were intentional.  I believe he likes people, especially women to feel uncomfortable.

 

and he loves, loves, loves, loves money.  

Edited December 19, 2018 by treemom
To make it mean what I meant instead of the opposite.

[apple1]

No good comes from growing up as unquestioned, spoiled-rotten royalty in one's world (whatever the world).

[wotdancer]

21 hours ago, treemom said:

I am am less forgiving of Jr’s little slip ups that the previous poster because I was on the debate team and had exposure to him before a lot of the LU students did.  He was a creep.  Those slip ups were intentional.  I believe he likes people, especially women to feel uncomfortable.

 

and he loves, loves, loves, loves money.  

I appreciate the extra perspective! I wasn't exposed to him prior to Sr's death...and it is really creepy of him to be intentionally inappropriate. (But then again, what more could I possibly expect from him?)

[Flossie]

Wasn't it said that Doug Phillips used to do the same thing?  He'd say something that could be could be taken to be somewhat inappropriate in the ultra conservative VF church, and if someone tried to tell him that, he'd go berserk and claim that the other person should know that he couldn't possibly mean anything by it.  

[DomWackTroll]

1 hour ago, Flossie said:

Wasn't it said that Doug Phillips used to do the same thing?  He'd say something that could be could be taken to be somewhat inappropriate in the ultra conservative VF church, and if someone tried to tell him that, he'd go berserk and claim that the other person should know that he couldn't possibly mean anything by it.  

Can't you totally see him playing little gaslighting games? "My good man, are you suggesting that I meant...?! If so, I shan't engage you further!" *Flounce* 

[treemom]

https://twitter.com/rawstory/status/1076152869668175872?s=21

[seraaa]

1 hour ago, treemom said:

https://twitter.com/rawstory/status/1076152869668175872?s=21

Well, this is just what this season of 'Donald Trump's Presidency' was missing. 

[DomWackTroll]

So... yeah. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-falwell-exclusive/exclusive-trump-fixer-cohen-says-he-helped-falwell-handle-racy-photos-idUSKCN1SD2JG

[Howl]

Well, the Pool Boy,  Giancarlo (!) is in grad school now and would really rather people didn't refer to him as Pool Boy; it's demeaning.  He knows nothing about any racy pics. 

What do you wanna bet that there are copies of those racy Falwell pics in the Enquirer's vault?

Really, the only thing Jerry Falwell is faithful about these days is humping Trump's leg.  And Jerry? Ditch the damn neck beard, man. Also, the Miami New Times article linked in the tweet below is so ad heavy it will slow down your computer. 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Howl