‘I was happy to do it for you’: GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz overheard making admission to Trump about Cohen threat
President Donald Trump reportedly called Rep. Matt Gaetz Wednesday night. Gaetz, the Florida Republican who very publicly threatened Michael Cohen, told President Trump he was "happy to do it for you," according to a reporter for The Atlantic.
Gaetz, after a warning from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and massive outrage across the nation, apologized to Cohen for the threat, which many agree was designed to intimidate him just hours before his explosive testimony Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee.
The Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere posted this tweet Thursday morning:
President Trump called @mattgaetz last night from Hanoi to talk the Cohen testimony and the threats (since rescinde… https://t.co/fF1DDweuhq— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@Edward-Isaac Dovere) 1551365141
Trump, who endorsed Gaetz, is believed to speak with him frequently.
Dovere adds to his reporting that Trump called Gaetz "as he headed into his meetings" with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Trump was in Hanoi to broker a denuclearization deal. Talks ended quickly and abruptly, and for the second time there is no deal.
Dovere's report has not been confirmed by other news outlets.
Gaetz is now facing an investigation by the Florida Bar Association for the threat he made to Cohen. It's possible the House Ethics Committee could also investigate, especially after Speaker Pelosi suggested they "vigilantly monitor" possible intimidation of witnesses by Members of Congress.
Former Obama Office of Government Ethics chief Walter Shaub weighed in on Dovere's report that Trump had called Gaetz, suggesting the Florida Bar use that information as part of its investigation:
