WASHINGTON — Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) said former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is "excited" about his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing despite damaging information that could come out about him stemming from a yearslong House Ethics Committee probe.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz to lead the Justice Department in a flurry of appointments that included a Fox News weekend co-host for defense secretary and a governor with little experience in homeland security to head that department.
Speaking to Raw Story on Tuesday, Norman said he "expected" the attacks on Gaetz, but "he can handle himself."
"Can he?" Raw Story pressed.
"Yeah. He's excited," said Norman.
The Freedom Caucus Republican added that the House Ethics Committee report was "just an opinion they want to get out there." He anticipates it will "actually help" Gaetz.
"The public opinion is going to be with him," claimed Norman.
Norman dodged the question when asked about the accusations the Congressman paid for sex with a minor.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
"Look, they're after — they're gonna try and stop every one of 'em," he said. "Matt's just a poster child."
Fox weekend host Pete Hegseth has also been accused of sexual misconduct, which he also denies. In Hegseth's case, he asked the woman who accused him of sexual assault to sign a nondisclosure agreement and paid her an undisclosed sum. The police report that covers the accusation said a rape kit was done at the hospital and found evidence of a sexual encounter.
Hegseth claimed that they had sex, but it was consensual.
"It's not gonna work," Norman said about "going after" Gaetz. "They've been doing it for seven years."
The alleged encounters Gaetz had were during his first term in Congress between 2017 and 2019.
"I mean, some of the senators — I can't wait to see him get grilled," Norman said about Gaetz's confirmation process. "He can handle himself."
When Norman was asked about the Republicans who aren't fans of Gaetz, he said that some are still made aware of what happened to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the chair.
"Let 'em leak it, and we'll see how it turns out," Norman closed.
An alleged hacker already accessed the information about Gaetz and could release it before the House does.
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