In a remarkable moment of transparency on the air, Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez (R-TX) pointed the finger at his Florida colleague Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and — risking a major defamation lawsuit — leveled an accusation that echoed rumors on The Hill about the Florida Congressman.
“I served 20 years in the military. It’s an honor to be in Congress,” Gonzalez said, “but I serve with some real scumbags. Look, Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties.”
Gaetz is not the only “scumbag” Gonzalez fingers either, saying Bob Good (R-VA) “endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods in the night — now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
Republican Congressman Gonzales: I serve with some real scumbags. Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. pic.twitter.com/rPlSsvPH6k
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) April 21, 2024
Saying the quiet part out loud about Gaetz isn’t totally new, though Gonzalez doesn’t use “allegedly” before making his charge, as the media does with anyone who is not — or not yet — convicted of a crime.
[CNN’s Dana Bash addressed the current status of the Gaetz rumors, saying: “I should say that the federal government did look into Matt Gaetz and those allegations and they decided not to prosecute.”]
Dana Bash: “I should say that the federal government did look into Matt Gaetz and those allegations and they decided not to prosecute”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) April 21, 2024
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly claimed his ouster, orchestrated by Gaetz with a motion to vacate, was always about Gaetz being fearful of an “ethics investigation” he was the subject of while McCarthy held the gavel. McCarthy alludes to it below:
“I do not think they could do it again,” former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says about the motion filed to oust his successor, Mike Johnson. McCarthy alleges his own ouster last year “was sheerly based on Matt Gaetz trying to stop an ethics complaint,” which Gatez has denied. pic.twitter.com/izf7HkKnhi
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 24, 2024