The sender demanded millions of dollars to help secure the release of U.S. federal agent Robert Levinson (who had disappeared in Iran in 2007 and had already been presumed and declared dead),[245][246] proposing that President Joe Biden would pardon Gaetz as a reward for freeing Levinson. Master Sgt. As a result, Gaetz was accused of inciting violence against Silicon Valley employees, which he denied. [69] During the hearing, U.S. Virgin Islands delegate Stacey Plaskett, a member of the Oversight Committee, recommended that Gaetz be referred to both the House Ethics Committee and criminal prosecutors for witness intimidation and tampering. "If Democrats want to defund the police, they should start with the FBI," wrote . He said that Trump should release his tax returns, but stopped short of saying Congress should subpoena them. Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, is being investigated by the Justice Department over whether he had a sexual relationship . Milley fired back against criticism from GOP lawmakers on the teaching of critical race theory at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. BREAKING: The crowd at today's hearing just erupted into laughter as a witness humiliated Republican Matt Gaetz in brilliant fashion.Subscribe for more and f. He printed out part of his speech onto giant boards that he would hold up if he was unable to speak. Gaetz called the label a "badge of honor", accused Twitter of enabling Antifa, and again said that "[o]ur government should hunt [Antifa] down". [178][179], In October 2017, Gaetz claimed that the Medicaid expansion permitted by the Affordable Care Act fueled the opioid crisis. A field officer for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles declared there was no evidence that Gaetz refused a breathalyzer test, despite the arresting police officer having documented it in an affidavit and the arrest report and Gaetz's own attorney also having documented it. [146] In September 2022, he called impeaching Biden a "priority". In both, he criticizes former House Speaker Paul Ryan for joining the board of Fox News's parent company and blames him for canceling Lou Dobbs Tonight. [219], In 2022, Gaetz voted against the Respect for Marriage Act. In late 2020, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into allegations that Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl in exchange for money in violation of federal sex trafficking laws, which Gaetz denied. Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide,[167][168] but was acquitted based on self-defense in November 2021. [283][284][285], On December 1, 2022, thanks to his assistance with the prosecutors in a series of investigations, including those involving Gaetz, Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison, plus ten years of supervised release. [281] Gaetz is also accused of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits sex trafficking across state lines. Matt Gaetz is NOT a Green Beret or a Freedom Fighter Michele Dotson 54 subscribers 71K views 1 year ago Brian Williams claps back HARD at Matt Gaetz for trolling General Mark Milley on. On March 10, he said his test was negative, but that he would stay under self-quarantine until the 14-day period ended on March 12. Read More KEEP GAETZ FIGHTING "America is the greatest country that has ever existed. [123], On April 8, 2021, Gaetz's congressional office released a statement purportedly from his female employees vouching for his character, stating they "uniformly reject these allegations as false". "[207] In January 2018, Gaetz defended a statement by Trump that reportedly said Haiti and African nations were "shithole" countries, saying that Haiti was covered by "sheet metal and garbage" and in "disgusting" condition. [233] A spokeswoman for Gaetz denied the new allegations. [287][275] In the book, while discussing dating in Washington, he writes, "I knew going in how many people had been brought down by sexual missteps in this town, so I set some rules to help me err on the safe(r) side [including] no dating your staff members, [etc.]. After Gaetz was arrested, he refused to take a breathalyzer test. "[213] Gaetz later deleted the tweet. Milley, who was testifying alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the hearing, was responding to Florida representatives Michael Waltz, a former Army Green Beret, and Matt Gaetz. June 23, 2021. No one is listening to fat generals who can't do a single pull up. But you weren't interested in whether the Russians interfered through Steeleand if Steele was lying, then you should have charged him with lying like you charged a variety of other people. And fear is Trump's best friend", "Congressional Dems Label Wisconsin Shooter White Supremacist Without Evidence", "Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty on all charges", "Gaetz says Rittenhouse would make 'great' intern", "Florida GOP candidate to give away semi-automatic rifle", "Openly carry guns in Florida? Anglin later reported that Gaetz fumbled for his license and . Their plans to target health care programs follow demands from a group of conservatives that helped elect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) over the weekend. [14][15] Gaetz was admitted to the Florida Bar on February 6, 2008. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put his foot down when asked by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Wednesday what the military and critical race theory - a loosely defined term used by many . As a result, Gaetz was placed under self-quarantine for 14 days. In several commercials during his 2016 congressional campaign, Gaetz promised to "kill Muslim terrorists and build the wall". [59], In June 2021, Gaetz was one of 21 House Republicans to vote against a resolution to give the Congressional Gold Medal to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He currently represents Florida's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. [2] Gaetz was an early supporter of Donald Trump and his appeal to the Republican Party base, echoing his talking points. How the 'revenge porn' bill ended up so flawed", "Weatherford calls for hearings on 'stand your ground', "Matt Gaetz to rally base ahead of Stand Your Ground hearing", "Proposed 'stand your ground' amendment would expunge records", "Matt Gaetz wants to talk about his mug shot, but not his arrest", "Gaetz wasn't always against leadership. [96][97] He has also introduced legislation to loosen federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes. Though Florida law requires a year's suspension when a driver refuses a breathalyzer test, Gaetz's suspension was less than a year long. Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, accused Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of promoting "wokeism . [24] During his campaign, Gaetz received almost $480,000 in contributions, about five times more than anyone else in the field, and almost 50 times more than Fernald, including $100,000 of his own money. [181] The full title of the bill is "To prohibit Federal funds from being used to implement, administer, enforce, or carry out programs with respect to digital health passes, and for other purposes. [153][non-primary source needed][154], In January 2017, Gaetz proposed legislation to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that it hurts small businesses via the costs associated with compliance. [292][293] They married in August 2021. 3843: Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022 House Vote #460 Sep 29, 2022", "Lawmaker's talk of mug shot raises questions about DUI arrest", "These Text Messages Pointed the Feds to Matt Gaetz", "New details shed light on Gaetz's Bahamas trip", "Indicted Gaetz Associate Is Said to Be Cooperating With Justice Dept", "Joel Greenberg, the former confidant of Matt Gaetz, pleaded guilty to a range of crimes", "Rep. Matt Gaetz eyes early retirement from Congress to take job at Newsmax", "Investigation of Matt Gaetz includes whether campaign funds were used to pay for travel and expenses", "Justice Dept. [246], Also on March 30, Tucker Carlson interviewed Gaetz on Fox News. [36], In 2015, Gaetz supported the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. [225] Also on March 30, he tweeted that he and his family were "victims of an organized criminal extortion involving a former DOJ official seeking $25 million". [185][186][187] A few days later, on March 9, Gaetz's office reported that he had been in contact with a Conservative Political Action Conference attendee who tested positive for COVID-19. Apparently, Matt Gaetz thinks wailing about critical race theory will distract from him being under investigation for trafficking underage girls and then witness tampering about it. [87] Gaetz nominated him once and voted for Trump on the 7th, 8th and 11th ballots. He then said this meant allowing Americans "the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary. [239][240] In late 2020, Greenberg apparently attempted to secure a pardon from the Trump administration via a confession letter (first reported by The Daily Beast in April 2021), writing that he and Gaetz had had sex with a 17-year-old girl they believed was 19, and that payments had been made on behalf of Gaetz to her and other women in exchange for sex. A decorated Green Beret who served a dozen combat tours, including six in Afghanistan, committed suicide last week in front of his wife, becoming the 30th member of his elite battalion to kill. On April 7, Trump denied that Gaetz had asked him for a pardon and noted that Gaetz "totally denied the accusations against him". He claimed that the decision was an example of "judicial activism" that posed "a threat to our democracy". [79] A statement from Gaetz's office said the arrangement complied with House rules, and that during the setup process, his office consulted with the House Ethics Committee and the House Administration Committee. Gaetz's attorney also claimed that an unnamed witness who knew Gaetz "observed no indication of impairment". [251] Gaetz sent Axios screenshots of text messages, emails and documents outlining the alleged extortion scheme, which he asserted was being run by David McGee,[252] a former federal prosecutor who has been a private attorney since 2005[253] and has represented the Levinson family. Democrats held 212 votes, with one seat unfilled due to the November death of a holdover incumbent. [79] Gaetz's office acknowledged that he spent $28,000 on speech-writing services, which is prohibited by House rules except in special circumstances and with prior approval from congressional officials, but said that it was a clerical error that it would fix. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 until 2016, and received national attention for defending Florida's controversial "stand-your-ground law". Inquiry Over Sex With an Underage Girl", "DOJ Investigation Focusing on Matt Gaetz's Alleged Payments for Sex: Report", "Federal investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz is focused on cash payments to women, report says", "The House ethics panel has opened an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Gaetz", "Career prosecutors recommend no charges for Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Who is Matt Gaetz? No one. 77: Opposing the decision to end certain United States efforts to prevent Turkish military operations against Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria", "Bernie Sanders, Rand Paul, Ro Khanna, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to Trump imploring him to end US support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen", "Twitter Places Warning on Congressman's Tweet for Glorifying Violence", "Rep. Matt Gaetz on Twitter: "The mob wants to destroy America. A meme showing a mug shot of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz suggests that the congressman has had "seven DUIs" and is responsible for the "suspicious" death of his college roommate. [7], In late April, Gaetz fundraised to run his own political ads, claiming that he was under attack by powerful interests such as "big government, big tech, big business, big media" that perceived him as a political threat.