Hugh_Lebowski: Jun 2021 #2: yeah, I didn't get that either, who was the Green Beret? The Republican Representative suddenly announced as much on Twitter on Thursday, sharing a pic with his now 19-year-old son, Nestor. [106] Gaetz has introduced the STATES Act to prevent federal interference in states that have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational purposes. Gaetz and other GOP members mocked Democrats and their COVID-19 regulations on social media. "[261], On April 1, 2021, CNN reported that Gaetz had shown pictures of naked women to colleagues on the House floor. The U.S.-based EcoHealth Alliance that worked with the Institute under a grant the Trump administration approved eventually had that funding withdrawn. Gaetz closed his town hall by shouting Trump's 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again". No one. "[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. During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, a smug Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-Fla.) under investigation for obstructing justice in a sex crimes probe tore into Defense Secretary. 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. Tampa Bay Times, Feb. 18, 2014: Near midnight, Okaloosa County Deputy Chris Anglin clocked Gaetz going 48 in a 35 mph zone. Matt Gaetz, a member of the 116th Congress, is currently serving his second term. [210][211], Gaetz voted against Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. [147] 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. In early March 2020, Gaetz wore a gas mask during a House debate on funds to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. [225] According to CNN, a person briefed on the matter said investigators also examined whether Gaetz used campaign money in his relationships with young women for travel and expenses and whether cash and drugs were involved. [8], Matthew Louis Gaetz II was born on May 7, 1982, in Hollywood, Florida, to Victoria (ne Quertermous) and Don Gaetz, who later became a prominent local politician. 56K views, 139 likes, 25 loves, 33 comments, 12 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Damage Report: Matt Gaetz Visibly SQUIRMS As Top Military General Speaks 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. [190][191], After Politico reported on November 7 that Gaetz had tested positive for COVID-19, he texted Politico "I have tested positive for antibodies" and "I have no live virus". "To be fair, Gaetzthe same Matt Gaetz who faces potential sex trafficking charges, which he deniesdid also tweet today to free Britney Spears, which kind of makes him a freedom fighter." . [172], When Gaetz served in the Florida House of Representatives, he led an unsuccessful effort to allow Floridians with concealed-weapons permits to carry those weapons openly in public. [205], Gaetz opposes sanctuary cities, which opt not to dedicate local law enforcement resources to prosecuting people solely for being undocumented. The Justice Department is investigating whether Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida and a close ally of former President Donald J. Trump, broke federal sex trafficking laws, focusing . [267] That evening, Representative Adam Kinzinger tweeted that Gaetz should resign, becoming the first congressional Republican to make such a call. [76] On July 1, 2020, the Office of Congressional Ethics notified Gaetz it had terminated its review of the lease arrangements. 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. [219], In 2022, Gaetz voted against the Respect for Marriage Act. [281] Gaetz is also accused of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits sex trafficking across state lines. [149], Gaetz voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. [78], In July 2020, Politico reported that its investigation had found expenditures by Gaetz that appeared to violate the House ethics rules: spending tens of thousands of dollars for a speech-writing consultant and having a private company install a television studio in his father's home in Niceville, Florida, which Gaetz uses when he appears on television. 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. [36], In 2015, Gaetz supported the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. Matthew Louis Gaetz II (/ e t s / GAYTS; born May 7, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017. [189] He also claimed that the National Institutes of Health had given the Institute a $3.7 million grant. He wrote, "If Democrats want to defund the police, they should start with the FBI. [34] After the hearings, he authored legislation to allow defendants who successfully used a stand-your-ground defense during trial to be able to expunge relevant information from their criminal records. [125][126] Gaetz said he did not trust Mueller to lead the investigation because of Mueller's alleged involvement in approval of the Uranium One deal and alleged close relationship with dismissed FBI director James Comey, a probable person of interest in a proposed new investigation. [89], Gaetz has self-identified as a "libertarian populist". Ex-commander of US forces in Europe challenges Matt Gaetz for smirking at military chief The congressman claims military members 'loathe' critical race theory, but provided no evidence to. He printed out part of his speech onto giant boards that he would hold up if he was unable to speak. [189] 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. Waltz is a Green Beret in the U.S. Army. During the hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., challenged Austin about, among other things, the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) in the U.S. military. "[61][114], In May 2018, Gaetz was one of 18 House Republicans to vote to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in peace talks with North Korea. June 23, 2021. [175], 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!" The M4A1 is a tried and true weapon that has served as the workhorse for the Special Forces. [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. The New Civil Rights Movement June 23, 2021 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley blasted U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz for mocking and opposing critical race theory during what was. He later clarified that Galbn is the brother of an ex-girlfriend of Gaetz's and that Galbn spends time with his sister, with Gaetz's family, and with Gaetz. They reached a boiling point and these guys marched in and said we want to know what's going on. Protesters forced Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, and Paul Gosar to cut a press conference short on Tuesday. Anglin later reported that Gaetz fumbled for his license and . Read More KEEP GAETZ FIGHTING "America is the greatest country that has ever existed. Matt Gaetz, even if Gaetz brought the topic up. [35], When his subcommittee was considering legislation that would keep suspects' mugshots off the Internet until their convictions, Gaetz brought up his 2008 arrest and non-conviction, arguing that his mistakes made him who he is and that publicly available mugshots "could be a problem for those unaccustomed to publicity". Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, accused Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of promoting "wokeism . "[95], Gaetz has introduced legislation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. [122] On April 8, it was revealed that Trump had reportedly wanted to defend Gaetz, but that his advisors talked him out of it due to the seriousness of the allegations. Representative Matt Gaetz called out Google for censoring conservative news sites like the Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller, Breitbart, Western Journal and the American Spectator. [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. Gaetz made two speeches for the organization while in Congress, and Pirozzolo gave two separate donations of $1,000 to Gaetz's campaign arm "Friends of Matt Gaetz", in March 2016 and May 2017. [150] 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. [77] House rules explicitly disallow below-market rentals, and require that parties to such leases "have [not] had, [n]or continue to have, a professional or legal relationship (except as a landlord and tenant)". 143 [44][45], Gaetz was listed as a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership from at least January to June 2017. [225] 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. 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. [98][99] Gaetz has criticized the federal government for having "lied to the American people for a generation" about cannabis's medical benefits. I got the Florida variant. [130][131], 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. "[241] By the end of the Trump administration, Greenberg was under indictment, investigators had been questioning some Gaetz associates, and federal agents had seized the phone of one of Gaetz's former girlfriends. [288] The two are not related genetically or legally. "[213] Gaetz later deleted the tweet. [214][215] The week before, he claimed without evidence that "FBI operatives organized and participated in the January 6th Capitol riot. . I got the freedom variant. [145] Later that month, Gaetz co-sponsored a resolution by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to impeach President Biden. "[137][138] House Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi wrote to the House sergeant-at-arms about Gaetz and others, requesting that he take action regarding their "unprecedented breach of security". [141] Each side got equal time to question witnesses. [96][97] He has also introduced legislation to loosen federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes. House Republicans are making clear that they intend to seek cuts to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare with their new majority in the 118th Congress. By Frances Langum June 23, 2021. In December 2017, Gaetz supported Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and said that the move would pressure Palestine to recognize Israel. [60], 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. Then Gaetz asked Pichai about Google's search methods on its site. The son of prominent Florida politician Don Gaetz, Gaetz was raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who, we must remind you, is currently under federal investigation for sex trafficking a 17-year-old asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin how the Department of. : 2016 Florida Republican presidential primary, athletes protesting during the national anthem, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law, 2022 U.S. House of Representatives elections, federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes, American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association, Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, Links between Trump associates and Russian officials, Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia, the sexual abuse of Ohio State University wrestlers, Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, "Matt Gaetz: Why this Trump ally is fighting for his political life", "Mimicking Donald Trump, far-right lawmakers use personal celebrity to draw in donors", "Factbox: Power of Trump's endorsements faces test in 12 U.S. midterm primaries", "GOP lawmakers hold California protest after 3 cancellations", "Gaetz says he's talked to Trump about making him House speaker", "Congressman Madison Cawthorn under fire over claims of DC drugs and orgies", "Meet the Uncompromising Ideologue Chairing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Hearings", "Matt Gaetz Is Said to Face Justice Dept. 2019 ) deleted a post about the agency investigating him on possible sex trafficking charges less than a minute it. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and the Florida congressional delegation in urging U.S. Air Force Assistant Secretary John Henderson to consider eight Florida locations for the future home of the United States Space Command (SPACECOM). Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tweeted about defunding the FBI on Wednesday, then appeared to think better of it. He left the Florida Republican Congressman speechless and only able to shake his head. A spokesperson for Gaetz said, "not one woman has come forward to accuse Rep. Gaetz of wrongdoing" and that Gaetz had "addressed the debunked allegations against him" on his new podcast, Firebrand. [217], After the U.S. Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, Gaetz said he disagreed with the court's ruling. [231][232], According to the 2021 reports, federal investigators were looking into Gaetz's September 2018 trip to the Bahamas. In 2017, he cast the only vote against a human trafficking bill", "Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was literally the only person to vote against an anti-human trafficking bill", "Roll Call 91 Roll Call 91, Bill Number: H. R. 1865, 115th Congress, 2nd Session", "Gaetz among 20 House Republicans who voted against anti-human trafficking bill", "Gaetz misleads in claim about immigrants, crime", "Matt Gaetz runs for U.S. Congress, blasts 'illegal immigrants' and 'Muslim terrorists', "GOP Lawmaker Matt Gaetz Slams Haiti: 'Sheet Metal And Garbage' Everywhere You Look", "Did Democrats, or George Soros, Fund Migrant Caravan? At the meeting, he was questioned about his relationship with Trump, his stance on repealing the Affordable Care Act, and his proposal to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. [20], On September 25, 2016, following the death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jos Fernndez, Gaetz criticized the athletes protesting during the national anthem in a tweet. Certain members of the Freedom Caucus, including Gaetz, could contribute the required margin. [271][272] Later in June, ABC News reported that the investigation had engulfed many in the Central Florida political scene and that prosecutors could decide whether to bring charges against Gaetz as early as July. [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. As a result, Gaetz was placed under self-quarantine for 14 days. [233] A spokeswoman for Gaetz denied the new allegations. Yet new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has elevated fringe figures like Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene . He added, "it should be investigations [of Democrats] first[and] policy, bill-making, to support the lobbyists and the PACs, as a far, far diminished priority. 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