'Democrats in drag': Matt Gaetz unleashes on GOP-controlled committee investigating him

23 February 2024

During a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) — an annual gathering of far-right activists, pundits and elected officials — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) focused much of his rage not on Democrats, but on his Republican colleagues.

Politico reported that Gaetz not only denied the allegations against him that the House Committee on Ethics is currently investigating, but leveled allegations of his own against his fellow Republicans.

"When I offer these critiques that include the conduct of some fellow Republicans I catch a lot of heat," Gaetz said. "Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer to just fight the Democrats but if the Republicans are going to dress up like Democrats in drag then I will lead the fight against them too."

Even though Attorney General Merrick Garland's Department of Justice already decided to not file charges against Gaetz over allegations of underage sex trafficking, the ethics committee — which is led by Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi) — has since revived its own investigation. Guest's committee notably resurrected its probe into Gaetz after he was one of eight House Republicans who spearheaded the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California).

In his CPAC session entitled "Burning Down the House," Gaetz specifically suggested Guest was benefiting financially from decisions he made as a member of Congress, saying the ethics committee chairman had "become a brilliant stock trader while in office." In 2021, Guest was fined for failing to report two separate stock trades involving a trust benefiting his wife for more than eight months.

"For the same reason you don’t let the umpire bet on the game, members of Congress should not be allowed to trade individual stocks," Gaetz told the CPAC audience. "How about the Ethics Committee take up those reforms?"

Guest's committee has subpoenaed several people close to Gaetz, including his former associate Joel Greenberg, who was previously the tax collector for Seminole County, Florida. In 2022, Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being found guilty on various charges, including underage sex trafficking, wire fraud, stalking and identity theft, among other crimes.

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