Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who is under federal investigation for issues including potential child sex trafficking and possibly paying for sex, released a rambling new op-ed this week in which he — with familiarly bizarre language — denied the allegations against him and complained about his treatment by the so-called “swamp.” Laughably, Gaetz even seemed to refer to himself as a “gladiator” at one point in the article, which is just ridiculous. Sure, he attracts a lot of media attention, but what has he actually done for the American people while in Congress?
Gaetz wrote, in part, as follows:
‘Washington scandal cycles are predictable, and sex is especially potent in politics. Let me first remind everyone that I am a representative in Congress, not a monk, and certainly not a criminal… I want to be clear about something as we process the leaks and lies from the past week. To this point, there are exactly zero credible (or even non-credible) accusers willing to come forward by name and state on the public record that I behaved improperly toward them, in the manner by which Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ten accusers.’
Gaetz is suspected of potential child sex trafficking — and this vitriol is his response. First, he glibly stated that he’s not a “monk” as though an allegation of sex trafficking is some kind of flippant joke to him, and then, as noted, he complained that the people who may have been victimized by his behavior haven’t come forward. Criticizing a possible child trafficking victim for potentially being unwilling to put themselves on the public record against a prominent right-wing figure is mind-bogglingly galling.
Gaetz petulantly added as follows:
‘Folks won’t be surprised that bizarre claims are being made about me shortly after I decided to take on the most powerful institutions in the Beltway: the establishment; the FBI; the Biden Justice Department; the Cheney political dynasty; even the Justice Department under Trump… Although I’m sure some partisan crooks in Merrick Garland’s Justice Department want to pervert the truth and the law to go after me, I will not be intimidated or extorted. The battle for America’s future demands gladiators, and I am going to keep getting back up and fighting, every single day.’
His self-importance is just wild. Matt Gaetz is not a “gladiator,” and what does he even mean by his supposed stand against “the establishment”? Does he mean his whiny tweets? Does he mean his angry remarks on the floor of the U.S. House that, substantively speaking, don’t actually amount to much at all? Gaetz is no “gladiator” — he’s a clownish buffoon who basks in the spotlight and might have jail-time in his future.
