[228] Evidence including mobile payment receipts reportedly suggesting Gaetz had illegally exchanged money for sex, such as May 2018 Venmo transaction records showing Gaetz sending $900 (with a memo referring to a woman) to Greenberg, who then relayed the money (with the memos "tuition" and "school") to three women, one of whom was 18. Support for impeaching President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas, Federal investigations into sex trafficking. [77] Gaetz and Merrill separately told Politico that Gaetz paid below-market rent for the space, but Gaetz later said that the rent was "at or below market rate". [111][112][113], In April 2018, Politico called Gaetz "one of the most enthusiastic defenders of President Trump on cable news" and a "proud Trump protg". Rep. Matt Gaetz's ex-girlfriend testified before a . Gaetz wasn't the only member who asked about the military's approach to addressing race. [296][297][298] Gaetz said, "Our relationship as a family is defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork. Though Florida law requires a year's suspension when a driver refuses a breathalyzer test, Gaetz's suspension was less than a year long. [106] He was also the only Republican cosponsor of the bill (of 55 cosponsors) at the time of its passage. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) At the end of his comments, Milley directly addressed Waltz, a combat veteran. [195], On July 31, Gaetz said of COVID-19 variants that "next it'll be the Chi Omega variant or the Pi Kappa Psi variant. [76], In April 2020, Politico reported that Gaetz had spent nearly $200,000 of taxpayer funds renting an office from Collier Merrill, a Pensacola real estate developer and restaurateur and longtime friend, adviser, campaign donor, and legal client. [97][98] He has also introduced legislation to loosen federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes. That's why Republicans are igniting demands for asylum reforms, protecting the Remain In Mexico policy, finishing the Wall, and unleashing the capabilities of our Border Patrol. Gaetz's new communications director, Joel Valdez, told Forbes that "all of the office's eight female staffers signed it", but the version of the statement that was released did not have anyone's signature or identify any specific employee. January 17, 2023 Press Release. He also resigned from two Florida House political action committees he had started and chaired; the PACs closed down and transferred $380,000 to a federal super PAC, North Florida Neighbors, whose purpose was to support Gaetz's congressional campaign. [26], Gaetz was one of two members to vote against a Florida bill against revenge porn in 2015, after having successfully blocked the bill previously. "[266], On April 1, 2021, CNN reported that Gaetz had shown pictures of naked women to colleagues on the House floor. Gaetz, who is being investigated by federal authorities for potential child sex trafficking charges and could reportedly be indicted as soon as next month, launched a Twitter attack on Milley. General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at Wednesday's hearing. [179][180], In October 2017, Gaetz claimed that the Medicaid expansion permitted by the Affordable Care Act fueled the opioid crisis. He also argued that "Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you're dating who are of legal age is not a crime. The district includes portions of Walton County and all of Escambia, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa counties. [153] In April 2017, the Center for American Progress and Vice Media said Gaetz was a climate change denier, citing his 2016 statements. [114] Aaron Blake of The Washington Post called him one of Congress' "most controversial members", and one who has "unabashedly aligned himself with Trump on basically all things. [94] Observers have described his views as far right. [268][269][270], On April 6, 2021, The New York Times reported that in the last weeks of the Trump administration, Gaetz privately requested a blanket presidential pardon for himself and others, which was reportedly denied because it would set a bad precedent. This isn't the first time Gaetz has exercised poor judgement in the sorts of photographs he poses for. [61], On February 26, 2019, the night before the scheduled public hearing of Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, before the House Oversight Committee, Gaetz directed a tweet to Cohen that implied without evidence that Cohen had had multiple extramarital affairs and also suggested his wife might be unfaithful while he was imprisoned due to new information disclosed to her. The affair centered around the murder of an alleged spy, Thai Mac Chuyen, who had supposedly infiltrated the South Vietnamese Special Forces for the Viet Cong. . by | Jan 30, 2023 | shortest flight from us to australia | the adventurer: the curse of the midas box sequel | Jan 30, 2023 | shortest flight from us to australia | the adventurer: the curse of the midas box sequel A member of the Republican Party, he is widely regarded as a staunch proponent of far-right . Pedophile Matt Gaetz accused Four Star General Mark Milley, Green Beret and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under both Trump and Biden of being "woke." General Milley put frat boy Gaetz in his place. Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 18, 2014: Near midnight, Okaloosa County Deputy Chris Anglin clocked Gaetz going 48 in a 35 mph zone. [290][291][292], 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. Just some time with our familyand our dignity. [151] He acknowledged that the bill's pass-through tax deduction would benefit Trump, but added, "so many Americans benefit when commercial real estate becomes easier and more accessible. [2] Gaetz was an early supporter of Donald Trump and his appeal to the Republican Party base, echoing his talking points. [190] but the EcoHealth Alliance later admitted that under the grant it had enhanced a bat coronavirus so it became potentially more infectious to humans, which the NIH said was an "unexpected result" of the research it had funded that was carried out in partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. "[294], In June 2020, following an argument with then-Representative Cedric Richmond, Gaetz said he had been living with a 19-year-old immigrant from Cuba, Nestor Galbn, since Galbn was 12, and considered Galbn his son. "[134], In October 2019, Gaetz organized a "storming" of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility on Capitol Hill by about two dozen Republican congressmen, including House minority whip Steve Scalise, in an effort to sit in on and hear the deposition of a Pentagon official during the impeachment inquiry against Trump. Gaetz said that Carlson "is CORRECT about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America. [148] He expressed the belief that many Republicans in Congress were hesitant to impeach Biden, but that Republican voters would feel "betrayed" if they did not. [131][132], Gaetz said of then-U.S. attorney general Jeff Sessions that "over at the Department of Justice, he's got Stockholm syndrome, he's become sympathetic with his captors over there in the Deep State. [68][71] After the hearing, Gaetz reportedly texted an apology to Cohen, who thanked him for it. [217][218] The week before, he claimed without evidence that "FBI operatives organized and participated in the January 6th Capitol riot. After Rep. Matt Gaetz accused a Florida lawyer of a $25 million extortion scheme to make sex trafficking allegations disappear, . Matt Gaetz's chances of getting his Ukraine fatigue bill through the House Gaetz and 10 other Republicans, including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, have called for an end to all. [84], In August 2022, Gaetz criticized President Joe Biden for forgiving up to $10,000 of student loan debt for eligible borrowers. Published. [32] Bush emailed Gaetz about introducing a bill to change the 2016 Florida Republican presidential primary to an earlier date in order to benefit Bush, Florida's former governor. But he and the other members were actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held at the same time as their absences. [99][100] Gaetz has criticized the federal government for having "lied to the American people for a generation" about cannabis's medical benefits. READ BIOGRAPHY HOW CAN I HELP YOU? [50], In February 2020, Gaetz announced that he would no longer accept campaign contributions from federal political action committees. Gaetz was criticized for hypocrisy because he had $476,000 of debt from his PPP loan forgiven. [48][49], After the 2020 State of the Union Address, Gaetz filed an ethics complaint against Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, claiming she had committed a "flagrant violation of decorum" and perhaps broken the law by ripping up her copy of the speech. Investigators were reportedly exploring whether the escorts were sexually trafficked for Gaetz and whether Gaetz accepted paid escorts in exchange for political access or legislative favors for Pirozzolo, who at the time chaired the board of the Medical Marijuana Physicians Association. Lawmakers Put 'People in Jeopardy' After Jan. 6", "Matt Gaetz Calls Arizona Audit 'Launchpad' for Audits Across America, Says Georgia's Next", "Did Matt Gaetz Call for Use of 'Second Amendment' Against Silicon Valley? [233], By June, the federal investigation had reportedly broadened to include obstruction of justice, relating to a phone conversation Gaetz had with a witness. He's still being probed by the bureau", "Matt Gaetz Is a Congressman Liberals Love to Loathe. [27], Florida House speaker Will Weatherford announced that he would order hearings on the stand-your-ground law. [256] Gaetz sent Axios screenshots of text messages, emails and documents outlining the alleged extortion scheme, which he asserted was being run by David McGee,[257] a former federal prosecutor who has been a private attorney since 2005[258] and has represented the Levinson family. [105], In November 2019, Gaetz was one of only two Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee to vote for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which among other reforms would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. Gaetz went on to outline a former Google employee who reported that Google was indeed targeting conservative media and those who support President Trump. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican of Florida. [176], During a May 2021 "America First" rally with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gaetz told an audience: "We have a Second Amendment in this country, and I think we have an obligation to use it!" Feb 24. 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. ", "Matt Gaetz calls the ADL 'racist' after it again calls on Tucker Carlson to step down for promoting white supremacist conspiracy theory", "Here's the Tweet Matt Gaetz Tried to Delete About the FBI", "Rep. Matt Gaetz Tweets, Deletes Call to Defund FBI, the Agency Investigating Him", "Matt Gaetz tweeted that the FBI should be defunded, then deleted it. Just look at his time in Tallahassee", "Emails show Jeb Bush coordinated with Florida Legislature for Favorable Primary Date", "Bush announces endorsements from 20 Florida senators", "Matt Gaetz Makes It Official, Will Shoot for Dad's Senate Seat in 2016", "Matt Gaetz launches bid for Congress, handing fathers state Senate seat to George Gainer", "Florida U.S. House 1st District Results: Matt Gaetz Wins", "To all who will kneel during the anthem today just remember how Jose Fernandez risked his life just for the chance to stand for it", "GOP Lawmaker Matt Gaetz Ripped For Tweet Politicizing Death Of MLB Star Jose Fernandez", "Meet Three of Our Freshmen Members: Reps. Gaetz, Rutherford, and Marshall", "How Matt Gaetz helped make Ron DeSantis", "GOP lawmaker condemned for inviting Holocaust denier to State of the Union", "GOP rep invited alt-right activist to the State of the Union", "Rep. Matt Gaetz hires former White House speechwriter who attended 2016 conference with white nationalists", "Prosecutors Look at Florida Election Protest as a Model for Jan. 6", "Matt Gaetz files ethics complaint against Nancy Pelosi for ripping Trump speech", "Rep. Matt Gaetz, top Trump ally, swears off PAC money", "McCarthy Feared G.O.P. Gutierrez, who died Feb. 8 of last year in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province during what appeared to be an insider attack by someone wearing an Afghan uniform, was posthumously awarded the Purple. Gaetz has denied the allegations and spun some. This isn & # x27 ; t the only Republican cosponsor of bill. Cosponsors ) at the time of its passage Trump and his appeal to the Republican Party,... Talking points 50 ], in February 2020, Gaetz reportedly texted apology! Early supporter of Donald Trump and his appeal to the Republican Party base, echoing his points., in February 2020, Gaetz reportedly texted an apology to Cohen, who thanked him it. 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