When the Law Comes for Matt
As the investigation into Rep. Gaetz continues, allies are dropping off.
The Justice Department is hot on Rep. Gaetz’s tail, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, as allegations of sex trafficking spread about the controversial member of Congress. After the report came out, an uproar surrounded Gaetz, who denied the allegations and has refused to resign.
Though defiant in his response, the situation has not improved for the self-described “Florida Man,” after an interview News host Tucker Carlson ended in what Carlson called “one of the weirdest interviews I’ve ever conducted.” The interview has been widely seen as a failure that further incriminates Gaetz, while others, such as Vox’s Aaron Rupar, have called it “disastrous.”
Gaetz has alleged that the investigation is part of an extortion scheme that his father reported to the FBI. While the extortion allegation is real and the FBI is currently investigating it, there is little evidence connecting the alleged perpetrators to the allegations against the young congressman. Moreover, the investigation that now threatens Gaetz resulted from another investigation into another Florida state senator: the former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg.
Though Gaetz may not realize it, his allies are seemingly abandoning him and his political capital appears to be slipping. The New York Times reported on Friday that Gaetz's spokesman, Luke Ball, had resigned. Ball was a long-term ally of Gaetz and had been helping the embattled representative prepare his defense against the Justice Department’s investigation. Why Ball resigned is not publicly clear, but with increased hostility to Gaetz and the lack of partisan support from Republican colleagues, such support may have become untenable.
Republican support for Gaetz has been tepid, as Republican leadership has hesitated to defend him. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that if the allegations prove true, he would remove Gaetz from his seat on the Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, some Republicans have taken to condemning Gaetz in private. CNN’s chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, noted that “If you could see my text messages from some of his current and former colleagues, I actually can’t repeat what some of them say on morning television.”
Despite the traditional Republicans’ hesitance to support him, more controversial Republicans have taken up Gaetz’s defense. In a statement to CNN’s Ryan Nobles, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) indicated his support, stating simply ,“I believe Matt Gaetz.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has also tweeted her support.
Still, the support of Greene and Jordan is unlikely to change much. Already, Republicans in Florida are increasingly turning against the Congressmen. Even the former President is hesitant to get involved. Trump's advisors have insisted that he avoid connecting himself to the investigation, and he has reportedly admitted that the investigation looks “really bad” for Gaetz. The President is not completely convinced that the investigation is not a smear.
While the investigation is ongoing and could take months, the effects are clear. So long as Gaetz continues to flounder in his defense, his career will continue to flounder with him. If that happens, Rep. Gaetz will be a representative no longer.