It looks like Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is facing a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations that he paid a 17-year-old to have sex with him, is adopting a rather Trumpian strategy of attacking the people investigating him.
A federal sex trafficking probe by the Justice Department concluded a year ago without any charges for the Florida Republican, though former Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to six charges, including sex trafficking of a minor, and is serving an 11-year prison term. But the House Ethics Committee is still investigating the matter and has subpoenaed one of Gaetz’s ex-girlfriends to testify Thursday.
But the House Ethics Committee is still investigating the matter and has subpoenaed one of Gaetz’s ex-girlfriends to testify Thursday.
Gaetz has denied doing anything wrong, and he reportedly has blamed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — his political nemesis these days — for allowing the Ethics Committee’s investigation to go forward.
And now he’s training his ire on another fellow Republican.
On Saturday, during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Gaetz went berserk on the Ethics Committee chair, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi.
“Word is, I now have problems with the Ethics Committee, which seems really odd to me, because I’m the one screaming loudest for actual ethics reforms,” Gaetz said. “Members of Congress should have a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists or registered foreign agents.”
“Word is, I now have problems with the Ethics Committee — which seems really odd to me because I’m the one screaming loudest for actual ethics reforms.”
— The Recount (@therecount) February 23, 2024
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) at CPAC rails against House Ethics probe into him and the panel’s chair, Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS) pic.twitter.com/XHRwJPyPnw
Gaetz then turned his fire directly on Guest, claiming that the Mississippian has “become a brilliant stock trader while in office.” Gaetz, who made a point to mention to his right-wing audience that Guest had voted to authorize the House Jan. 6 committee, contended that he wasn’t accusing Guest of insider trading. But the obvious takeaway of this little rant was that the Ethics Committee chair had run afoul of ethics, even if he hadn’t broken the law. (Guest doesn’t appear to have publicly commented on the remarks.)
Gaetz is hardly impartial here. And his effort to portray himself as a martyr is quite familiar. Much like former President Donald Trump, it seems Gaetz wants to convince the public that he’s the real victim, simply because he has stood up for ethics reform in Washington.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.