[226] Gaetz initially denied that he had drunk alcohol, but later admitted to drinking two beers. [101] As a member of the Florida House, he sponsored a bill, eventually signed into law,[102] to expand the state's Right to Try Act to include the medical use of cannabis. Milley's impassioned retort came after Representatives Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz, a Green Beret veteran, brought up concerns that critical race theory is detrimental to the U.S. military. [4][5][6], Gaetz grew up near Fort Walton Beach, and graduated from Niceville High School. [203][204], On February 27, 2018, Gaetz voted against the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which had by then been combined with the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act. Testimony from a former White House aide is the first indication that he sought a pardon for his own exposure related to the investigation. Murphy also said state officials were investigating whether the event violated the state's COVID-19 regulations. "[196], Gaetz opposes abortion. "[96], Gaetz has introduced legislation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. Right-wing Republicans like Representatives Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene are making the case that the post-Trump version of their party will double down on the former president's most . [33] Don Gaetz, then the president of the Florida Senate, also endorsed Bush, along with several other members of Florida's state legislature. Transcribe Your Own Content Try Rev and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling. "[133], During Mueller's testimony to two congressional committees on July 24, 2019, Gaetz told him, "if Russians were lying to Christopher Steele to undermine our confidence in our newly elected president, that would be precisely in your purview because you stated in your opening that the organizing principle was to fully and thoroughly investigate Russian interference. "[62][115], 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. [243], Gaetz had argued in a November 2020 Fox News appearance that Trump "should pardon Michael Flynn [and] everyone from himself to his administration officials to Joe Exotic". [223], In 2022, Gaetz was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior. His work in Congress focuses on national security, veterans' affairs, and adherence to constitutional principles. [271] On April 8, it was revealed that Trump had reportedly wanted to defend Gaetz but was told to stand down due to the seriousness of the allegations. [246], On May 17, 2021, Greenberg pleaded guilty to multiple crimes in a plea deal in which he would have to cooperate with prosecutors. He printed out part of his speech onto giant boards that he would hold up if he was unable to speak. 5. "[214][215], On June 23, 2021, Gaetz tweeted that the FBI should be defunded while it is investigating him for alleged sex trafficking and having sex with a minor. READ BIOGRAPHY HOW CAN I HELP YOU? Jan 18, 2022, 10:04 AM. [97][98] He has also introduced legislation to loosen federal restrictions on the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes. [229] Gaetz was reportedly joined by marijuana entrepreneur and hand surgeon Jason Pirozzolo, who allegedly paid trip accommodations, traveling expenses, and escort services. He failed an eye test twice, then declined field sobriety tests. [220], 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. [41][42][43], Gaetz served as a top campaign adviser to Ron DeSantis during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign. [120] The White House reportedly never seriously considered the request, because it was decided that issuing preemptive pardons would set a bad precedent. White House aide is the son and is matt gaetz a former green beret of Navy Chiefs Santa County. He then said this meant allowing Americans "the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary. [164], In April 2019, after the House passed a resolution withdrawing American support for the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, Gaetz was one of nine lawmakers to sign a letter to Trump requesting a meeting with him and urging him to sign Senate Joint Resolution 7, which invokes the War Powers Act of 1973, to end unauthorized US military participation in the Saudi-led coalition's armed conflict against Houthi forces in Yemen. In April, he received criticism after being pictured wearing a gas mask on the House floor. Gaetz has denied the allegations and spun some. [75] In August 2019, the Florida Bar announced it had found no probable cause that Gaetz had violated its rules. [298], In December 2020, Gaetz announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Ginger Luckey, the sister of Oculus VR founder and major Republican donor Palmer Luckey. [82], In late February 2021, Gaetz and a dozen other Republican House members skipped votes and enlisted others to vote for them, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [45], In April 2019, Gaetz hired Darren Beattie as a speechwriter. [118], Gaetz is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, but not of the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, or Oversight and Reform Committees, and so was not allowed to join lawmakers' closed-door deposition of former White House Russia aide Fiona Hill in October 2019. [210], Gaetz voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020. [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. #StopTheSteal". Gaetz called the label a "badge of honor", accused Twitter of enabling Antifa, and again said that "[o]ur government should hunt [Antifa] down". [165], On June 1, 2020, during the nationwide George Floyd protests, Gaetz tweeted, "Now that we clearly see antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?" [57], In February 2023, Gaetz invited Corey Ryan Beekman to lead the pledge of allegiance at a Judiciary Committee hearing. [275], 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. [239] A woman on the Bahamas tripa Capitol Hill intern who did not work in Gaetz's office but who was dating Gaetzreportedly agreed in May 2021 to cooperate with investigators, who believe she has information about Gaetz's financial transactions on the trip. 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. [50], In February 2020, Gaetz announced that he would no longer accept campaign contributions from federal political action committees. Sources describing Gaetz as "far-right" include: Some sources state that Gaetz is "close to" the caucus, e.g. Here are 13 key people to watch. [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. Pence's former chief of staff hits back at Matt Gaetz, saying he'll likely be 'in prison for child sex trafficking' in what looks like a growing schism in Trumpworld. The Pentagon has identified the two U.S. Army Green Berets killed on Wednesday during combat operations in northern Afghanistan. It gets you to think for yourself where you don't just surrender to the truth that they're trying to create in corrupt big media. 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. [94] Observers have described his views as far right. [219] He also persuaded his father, in the Florida State Senate, to support the repeal. The U.S.-based EcoHealth Alliance that worked with the Institute under a grant the Trump administration approved eventually had that funding withdrawn. [68][71] After the hearing, Gaetz reportedly texted an apology to Cohen, who thanked him for it. [110] Gaetz arrived 30 minutes late to the meeting, where at least 500 constituents crowded into a bowling alley. Getty. [238] A spokeswoman for Gaetz denied the new allegations. Things to know about congressman accused of threatening Michael Cohen", "Member Profile Matthew Louis Gaetz II", "GOP lawmaker Don Gaetz is rising fast as a state Senate leader", "Law School Alums Looking To Distance Themselves As Much As Humanly Possible From Matt Gaetz", "How Matt Gaetz used daddy's money to become Trump's favorite congressman", "Matt Gaetz labelled 'delinquent' for failing to pay Florida bar association fees", "Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom resigns", "April 13, 2010 Special General Congressional 19 & House 4", "Florida House approves speeding up executions", "Ethanol Fuels To Evaporate Under House Bill", "Florida Congressman Drafts Bill To 'Completely Abolish' The EPA", "Rick Scott Signs Ethanol Bill Repealing Required Percentage Statute", "Act of revenge? Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at Wednesday's hearing. [174] In lobbying for the bill, he said that the open carry of weapons was a right "granted not by government but by God. [138] The disruption delayed Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Laura Cooper's testimony by many hours. But he and the other members were actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held at the same time as their absences. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) At the end of his comments, Milley directly addressed Waltz, a combat veteran. Police recorded him driving 48mph (77km/h) in a 35mph (56km/h) zone and noted that he showed physical signs of intoxication. A press release stated, "These short-lived climate pollutants, also called super pollutants, are significantly more potent than carbon dioxide. [16], In March 2010, after Republican state representative Ray Sansom's resignation on corruption charges in February 2010,[17] Gaetz ran in the special election to succeed Sansom in the 4th district, which included southern Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County. [201][202][203] Gaetz later explained that his vote was due to his small government principles and his belief that existing federal agencies could adequately combat human trafficking. Greene has been publicly harassing people she opposes for years. Matt Gaetz's stupid question about "teaching critical race theory at military academies" is completely outgunned by simple statements of fact from a US General, whose FACT-BASED remarks immediately went viral. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican of Florida. After graduating from the William & Mary Law School, he briefly worked in private practice before running for state representative. [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. 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. Beattie had previously been fired as a speechwriter for the Trump administration after attending a conference associated with white nationalists. [142] Each side got equal time to question witnesses. [249] Gaetz and his father purportedly received communications claiming that the FBI had photographs of Gaetz engaged in a "sexual orgy with underage prostitutes". [232][233], On March 30, 2021, Axios reported that Gaetz was "seriously considering not seeking re-election and possibly leaving Congress early for a job at Newsmax". "[172] Gaetz is a lifetime member of the NRA,[172] and has an A+ rating from it. Matt Gaetz is NOT a Green Beret or a Freedom Fighter Michele Dotson 54 subscribers Subscribe 650 Share 71K views 1 year ago Brian Williams claps back HARD at Matt Gaetz for trolling. [296][297][298] Gaetz said, "Our relationship as a family is defined by our love for each other, not by any paperwork. [39][40], Gaetz was listed as a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership from at least January to June 2017. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who earlier in the hearing said Defense Department officials hired a critical race theorist to advise. [273][274], On April 9, 2021, the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that Gaetz "may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gift". 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. [18] In the special general election, Gaetz defeated Democratic nominee Jan Fernald with 66 percent of the vote. Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican being investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations, made a name for himself when he arrived on Capitol Hill as a conservative . Reactions: pioneerlion83 , RoyalT12 , Osprey Lion and 2 others Gaetz was criticized for hypocrisy because he had $476,000 of debt from his PPP loan forgiven. [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. [51], On January 10, 2021, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy complained on a phone call that Gaetz was unnecessarily "putting people in jeopardy", noting that the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 "came prepared with rope". And both won re-election to their seats just days ago. Gaetz, 38, a conservative firebrand and close ally of former President Donald Trump, denied the reported allegations against him. [72] The Florida Bar opened an investigation into Gaetz for the tweet,[73][74] as did the House Ethics Committee. [35] On March 21, 2016, Gaetz withdrew from the race, choosing instead to run for the U.S. House seat representing Florida's 1st congressional district; the incumbent, Jeff Miller, had announced 11 days earlier that he would not seek reelection.[36]. Gaetz, a Florida representative, is embroiled in investigations into an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old that may have violated sex trafficking laws. [228] 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". Bowling alley, 38, a conservative firebrand and close ally of former President Donald Trump, the. In a 35mph ( 56km/h ) zone and noted that he had drunk alcohol, later. 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