Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is one of the president’s foot soldiers. He came to the House Oversight Committee when Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen’s testified, and he stood just even with the attorney’s line of peripheral sight. That verged on the edge of witness intimidation.
Wednesday a Fox News Host gave Gaetz the bad news about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ripping up Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. He wanted to prosecute her and send her to prison or fine her.
Gaetz called for a House Ethics Committee investigation of Pelosi. He also referred her to the Justice Department wanting a criminal investigation. He cited the law (18 USC 2071). This law said that anyone mutilation, obliterating, or destroying specific federal records could be jailed:
”BREAKING: I’m filing an ethics complaint against @SpeakerPelosi for destroying @realDonaldTrump‘s State of the Union speech.
Her conduct was beneath the dignity of the House, and a potential violation of law (18 USC 2071).
Nobody is above the law. She must be held accountable.’
In his letter to the House Ethics Committee, Gaetz said:
‘There is no question that Speaker Pelosi ‘mutilated, obliterated, or destroyed’ the copy of the President’s address provided to her.’
Gaetz tweeted along with his letter:
‘The video evidence is clear and abundant, and the Speaker herself told reporters that she tore up the document. Nobody is above the law.’
Pelosi’s Chief of Staff Drew Hammill remarked:
‘[It was] a frivolous stunt from a Congressman desperate to get back in the President’s good graces after he voted with Democrats and against the President on Iran.’
Hammill said:
‘We appreciate the irony of this particular member [Gaetz] making judgments about the dignity of the House.’
Gaetz said:
‘She disgraced the House of Representatives, she embarrassed our country and she destroyed official records.’
There were a number of flaws in Gaetz’s proposed prosecution. Among them, a copy of a speech even one given by the president of the United States is not an official record. The law applies to the preservation of documents and official materials, for example, those in the National Archives.
Conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham gave the Florida representative the bad news: Ingraham was a law school graduate and clerked at the Supreme Court. She laughed at Gaetz’s letter:
‘Well, it’s not really a formal record because it’s a copy of the speech that the president signed. … This is cute, but it’s not going to work.’
One of Trump’s friends and founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA put out a tweet:
‘.@RepMattGaetz says he will be filing ethics charges against Speaker Pelosi for destroying “official records” when she tore up Pres. Trump’s #SOTU speech’
.@RepMattGaetz says he will be filing ethics charges against Speaker Pelosi for destroying “official records” when she tore up Pres. Trump’s #SOTU speech
pic.twitter.com/xurHHsERbI— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 6, 2020
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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