Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MATT GAETZ
FROM THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
Submitted to GOP Minority Rep. Leader McCarthy and GOP Chairman Rep. Cheney
CONTENTS
(1) REP. GAETZ’S LEGISLATIVE RECORD AGAINST OUR NATIONAL INTEREST AND
THAT OF AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
1. Weak oversight record
2. Adverse voting record
(2) REP. GAETZ’S PUBLIC CONDUCT AND SPEECH UNBECOMING OF A MEMBER OF THE
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
1. Intimidation of a congressional witness
2. Attacks on intelligence and defense institutions and experts
3. Undermining public health measures during a pandemic.
4. Ties to white supremacists and other extremist groups
5. Undermining faith in the election and the peaceful transfer of power
6. Improper use of government resources for self-promotion and personal gain
(3) APPENDIX
1. Screen shots of Twitter posts from @RepMattGaetz, @mattgaetz and @GaetzTakes
2. 8/3/2020 Email & statement from Rep. Gaetz aide to the Homefront Fidelity Project
3. Florida Bar Association Grievance Committee letter re: Michael Cohen matter
4. House Committee on Ethics Report on the Matter of Matt Gaetz, re: Michael Cohen
5. Letter from Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson re: Gaetz et al breach of SCIF
security protocols
6. Letter from Rep. Gaetz to President Trump and Duncan Hunter re: Eddie Gallagher
7. Resignation letter from Secretary of the Navy Spencer
(1) REP. GAETZ’S LEGISLATIVE RECORD AGAINST THE NATIONAL INTEREST AND
THAT OF AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
In his book Firebrand, Rep. Gaetz wrote that “if you aren’t making news, you aren’t governing.” While
Representative Gaetz might confuse public relations with legislating, the 1.4 million active duty servicemembers and
their families who depend on the House Armed Services Committee do not. No matter how many times the
Congressman gives media interviews claiming to fight for the military “with a whip and a chair”1 the fact remains
that his legislative record is among the weakest in the history of the Armed Services Committee.
It is evident from the Congressman’s copious public statements that he fancies himself a disruptor in the national
security arena, despite having no prior military service or relevant expertise. It should go without saying that defense
policy is no place for amateurs, self-styled “firebrands” or political hacks. The stakes are simply too high, for both
our nation’s security and the men and women who risk their lives to protect it.
1
Thomas St. Myer, “Gaetz to serve on Armed Services, Budget committees,” Pensacola News Journal, Jan. 10, 2017.
https://www.pnj.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/10/gaetz-serve-two-us-house-committees/96390046/
2
See page 37 in the Appendix for 8/3/2020 email exchange between The Homefront Fidelity Project and Boris Kizenko,
aid to Congressman Gaetz.
3
Rep. Gaetz, Statement on the Utilization of Military Funds for Border Security, September 5, 2019.
https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-releases-statement-utilization-military-funds-border
4
Jim Little, “Tyndall Air Force Base sees $17 million cut to help fund Trump's Mexico border wall,” Pensacola News
Journal, Pensacola News Journal, September 5, 2019. https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019/09/05/tyndall-air-force-base-
sees-17-million-cut-help-fund-mexico-border-wall/2222006001/
5
Nick Miroff, “He builds the wall: How North Dakota’s Tommy Fisher scored $2 billion in Trump border contracts,”
Washington Post, September 14, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-border-wall-tommy-
fisher/2020/09/14/8176798a-ed52-11ea-a21a-0fbbe90cfd8c_story.html#comments-wrapper
Fisher Construction in Arizona to hype their product.6 7 Fisher would later be awarded another $1.3B and $289M,
despite faulty construction8 and a Pentagon Inspector General investigation.9
6
Oliver Willis, “GOP congressmen pretend they watched wall construction at the 'border',” American Independent, April
16, 2019. https://americanindependent.com/gop-congressmen-matt-gaetz-border-wall-lie/
7
https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1118220509647441923?s=20
8
Jerry Lambe, “Border Wall Built by Trump’s Hand-Picked Contractor Is ‘in Danger of Falling into the Rio Grande,’” Law
and Crime, July 2, 2020. https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/border-wall-built-by-trumps-hand-picked-contractor-is-in-
danger-of-falling-into-the-rio-grande/
9
Chairman Thompson, “Pentagon Inspector General to Review $400 Million Border Wall Contract After Thompson
Request, House Committee on Homeland Security. December 12, 2019. https://homeland.house.gov/news/press-
releases/pentagon-inspector-general-to-review-400-million-border-wall-contract-after-thompson-request
10
Helene Cooper, “Top General Declines to Endorse Trump’s Afghan Withdrawal Timeline,” New York Times,
Oct. 12, 2020, updated Nov. 16, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/12/world/asia/trump-milley-afghanistan.html
11
Statement from Office of Matt Gaetz emailed to the Homefront Fidelity Project. See page 37 of the Appendix.
12
Howard Altman, “Calls for martial law and US military oversight of new presidential election draws criticism,” Military
Times, December 2, 2020. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/12/02/calls-for-martial-law-and-us-
military-oversight-of-new-presidential-elections-draws-criticism/
13
Total Twitter followers calculated before Twitter ban on accounts associated with white supremacy and extremism.
14
Jake Tapper, CNN anchor, “Gaetz attacking a Navy mom as a “Karen” for writing an oped criticizing him for, in her
view, undermining institutions and alliances as a member of the House Armed Services Committee.”
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1309918685797244928?s=20
15
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics, In the Matter of Matt Gaetz, August 21, 2020,
https://ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.house.gov/files/documents/Committee%20Report_21.pdf
16
Jim Rosicaon, “Florida Bar panel calls Matt Gaetz ‘unprofessional, reckless, insensitive’,” Florida Politics, August 17,
2019. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/303569-florida-bar-panel-matt-gaetz
17
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics
Despite having no prior military service or training in national security himself, Gaetz has continually—and
arrogantly—pushed policies in defiance of the experts. His positions on complex defense and intelligence issues
are simplistic, at best, and dangerously ignorant, at worst. Maximizing public relations and political favor with
President Trump—rather than exercising oversight by a coequal branch and developing sound national security
policy and ensuring force protection—appear to be his primary aim. We see no evidence of a good faith debate of
issues that our men and women in uniform deserve. Instead, the Congressman has repeatedly chosen to sow
division and chaos—in the process undermining the very defense and intelligence institutions our military depend
on for mission fulfilment and safety. It is painfully evident that Congressman is indifferent to the erosion of
public faith and trust in these vital institutions that his attacks have caused.
18
See page 42 in Appendix for Thompson letter.
19
Rep. Matt Gaetz Contributions, Open Secrets. https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/matt-
gaetz/contributors?cid=N00039503&cycle=CAREER
20
Lead Inspector General for Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Quarterly Report to the United States Congress, July 1, 2020 -
September 30, 2020. https://www.dodig.mil/reports.html/Article/2416225/lead-inspector-general-for-operation-freedoms-
sentinel-i-quarterly-report-to-th/
21
See page 37 in Appendix for email between Office of Rep. Gaetz and the Homefront Fidelity Project.
22
Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Ro Khana, “Congress Should Welcome Troops Home — Not Delay Their Return,” Daily
Caller, July 13, 2020, https://dailycaller.com/2020/07/13/rep-matt-gaetz-and-rep-ro-khanna-congress-should-welcome-
troops-home-not-delay-their-return/
▪ Eddie Gallagher clemency. A month before former Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher’s court martial for
more than a dozen war crimes, 23 Rep. Gaetz intervened on Gallagher’s behalf. In a one-page letter to
President Trump, Gaetz, an attorney, made sweeping and unsubstantiated allegations about the U.S. Navy
Justice system’s bias against Gallagher and mistreatment of him while incarcerated. Among his examples of
“unacceptable” and “appalling treatment” were that Gallagher’s lawyer needed permission to enter the
military base where Gallagher was housed in the Brig and that Gallagher was only allowed one physical
embrace per visit with this family. Gaetz then leapt to the absurd conclusion that “the only appropriate action
for you as Commander-In-Chief is to remove this case from the Navy’s legal system… and dismiss charges
against Chief Gallagher.”24
Gaetz’s letter would set into motion an unprecedented series of political meddling into Navy command’s
efforts to maintain good order and discipline. At Gaetz’s urging, the President ordered by tweet that
Gallagher be moved to less restrictive confinement and privately pressured then Secretary of the Navy
Richard Spencer to agree to a pre-trial pardon.25 When Gallagher was ultimately convicted of posing with the
corpse of a combatant and demoted as part of his sentence, the President overruled the sentence and restored
Chief Gallagher to his rank of E-7. When the top SEAL Commander Rear Admiral Collin Green convened
the standard peer review to determine if Gallagher would be allowed to keep his SEAL Trident pin, the
President pre-empted the review and pronounced he would keep it. Secretary Spencer would ultimately
resign in protest of this political interference in the Navy’s efforts to instill better ethics and accountability in
the special forces.26
Note: Gaetz’s co-signor was Duncan Hunter, the former member of Congress who was convicted of stealing
campaign funds and recently pardoned by President Trump along with four war criminals.
23
Dave Phillips, “Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALs Who Turned In Edward Gallagher,” New York Times,
December 27, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/us/navy-seals-edward-gallagher-video.html
24
Letter from Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Duncan Hunter to President Donald Trump, January 30, 2019. See page 43 in
Appendix.
25
Richard Spencer, “I was fired as Navy secretary. Here’s what I’ve learned because of it,” Washington Post, November
27, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/richard-spencer-i-was-fired-as-navy-secretary-heres-what-ive-learned-
because-of-it/2019/11/27/9c2e58bc-1092-11ea-bf62-eadd5d11f559_story.html
26
Resignation letter of Secretary of Navy Richard Spencer. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6558862-Spencer-
Letter.html See also page 44 in Appendix.
27
Deputy Secretary of Defense, Stop Movement Order Memo, Department of Defense, March 13, 2020.
https://media.defense.gov/2020/Mar/13/2002264686/-1/-1/1/STOP-MOVEMENT-FOR-ALL-DOMESTIC-TRAVEL-
FOR-DOD-COMPONENTS-IN-RESPONSE-TO-CORONAVIRUS-2019.PDF
28
“Gotta Pass Gas (Masks) ... THEN, CORONAVIRUS FUNDING,” TMZ, March 4, 2020.
https://www.tmz.com/2020/03/04/matt-gaetz-congress-funding-coronavirus/
As the pandemic escalated, DOD would develop health protocols in cooperation with local, state and national
experts.29 According to the DOD, 61% of military installations are still under COVID travel restrictions—
including Pensacola Naval Air Station in the Congressman’s district—affecting thousands of armed
servicemembers and their families.30 Meanwhile, Representative Gaetz mocked these types of measures as
“hid[ing] under your bed and hop[ing] that the virus won’t ever find you.”31 When the CDC issued guidance
urging American to avoid large holiday gatherings, Gaetz called it a “War on Thanksgiving” and mocked Dr.
Anthony Fauci as ‘COVID Yoda.’32 Throughout the election season, the Congressman would be photographed
brazenly flouting CDC guidance on masks, social distancing and large groups.
Inciting COVID-related unrest and violence. In March, the
Department of Homeland Security warned about violent
extremists and domestic terrorists exploiting COVID-19 to “incite
violence, intimidate targets and promote their ideologies.”33
Despite this warning, Gaetz would increasingly use incendiary
rhetoric to describe COVID measures, calling them the “most
oppressive form of government control.” He would also seek out
opportunities to attack what he branded “anti-liberty” Democratic
governors grappling with serious outbreaks and hospital shortages
in their states.34
Months before the FBI foiled a plot to kidnap and murder the
Governor of Michigan, Gaetz was on cable news hurling attacks
against her.35 He was likewise fanning the flames in Oregon,
weeks before armed anti-lockdown protestors stormed the state
house.36
Gaetz has also used his bully pulpit to celebrate those who defied state and local COVID measures. For example,
Gaetz would declare on his podcast that he stood with the two controversial California sheriffs who had
announced they would not enforce Governor Newsome’s COVID ordinance. Last month on Twitter, he tweeted
29
“What Do Travel Restrictions Mean for Military Families?” FAQ, Department of Defense.
https://www.militaryonesource.mil/moving-housing/moving/planning-your-move/what-do-travel-restrictions-mean-for-
military-
families/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Defense%20will%20begin%20phasing%20out,to%20the%20most%20fre
quently%20asked%20questions%20about%20travel.
30
COVID-19 Travel Restrictions, Installation Status, Department of Defense.
https://media.defense.gov/2020/Dec/30/2002558522/-1/-1/1/COVID-19-TRAVEL-RESTRICTIONS-INSTALLATION-
STATUS-UPDATE-DECEMBER-30-2020.PDF
31
Josh Feldman, “Gaetz: Trump Getting Covid Shows ‘No Lockdown Can Be a Panacea to Save Everyone from
Everything,’ Reopening Strategy Should Continue,” Mediaite, October 3, 2020. https://www.msn.com/en-
us/news/politics/gaetz-trump-getting-covid-shows-no-lockdown-can-be-a-panacea-to-save-everyone-from-everything-
reopening-strategy-should-continue/ar-BB19ECb4
32
Jeff Poor, “Gaetz: ‘There Is Blood on Cuomo’s Hands Just Because of Abject Stupidity’,” Brietbart News, November 28,
2020. https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/11/28/gaetz-there-is-blood-on-cuomos-hands-just-because-of-abject-stupidity/
33
Alexa Lardieri, “Homeland Security Warns Terrorists Could Exploit Coronavirus Pandemic,” U.S. News and World
Reports, March 24, 2020. https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-03-24/homeland-security-warns-that-
terrorists-could-exploit-coronavirus-pandemic
34
Jeff Poor, “Gaetz: ‘There Is Blood on Cuomo’s Hands Just Because of Abject Stupidity’.”
35
Oliver Willis, “Gaetz: Michigan governor only complains about lack of supplies to attack Trump,” American
Independent, May 4, 2020. https://americanindependent.com/matt-gaetz-coronavirus-donald-trump-gretchen-whitmer-
michigan-governor-house-gop-covid-19/
36
Jesse O’Neill, “Anti-lockdown protestors kick in door at Oregon statehouse,” NY Post, December 21, 2020.
https://nypost.com/2020/12/21/anti-lockdown-protestors-kick-in-door-at-oregon-statehouse/
photos at a political gala held in New Jersey, flaunting the group’s violation of the governor’s executive order
mandating masks and social distancing. The matter has since been referred to law enforcement.37
At a December 19, 2020 Turning Point USA event, Gaetz doubled-down on his attacks on the Democratic
governors, “with their emergency orders and bitchy little edicts. We will never give them the power to shut down
the American spirit and the American way of life.”38 So far, Gaetz would tweet the Turning Point USA speech
more than two dozen times.
37
Cristina Cabrera, “NJ Guv. Tells Gaetz To Stay Away From State After Rep. Attends Mask-Free Fundraiser,” Talking
Points Memo, December 4, 2020. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/nj-guv-tells-gaetz-to-stay-away-from-state-after-
rep-attends-mask-free-fundraiser
38
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Turning Point USA, December 19, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=5392&v=mBw5KvcCpBk&feature=youtu.be
39
Leo Shane III, “Signs of white supremacy, extremism up again in poll of active-duty troops,” Military Times, February 6,
2020. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/02/06/signs-of-white-supremacy-extremism-up-again-
in-poll-of-active-duty-troops/
40
Southern Poverty Law Center, “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2019.”
https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/yih_2020_final.pdf
41
Olivia Beavers, “Wray: Racially motivated violent extremism makes up most of FBI's domestic terrorism cases,” The
Hill, September 9, 2020. https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/516888-wray-says-racially-motivated-violent-
extremism-makes-up-most-of-fbis
42
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, “The War Comes Home: The Evolution of Domestic Terrorism in the
United States,” October 22, 2020. https://www.csis.org/analysis/war-comes-home-evolution-domestic-terrorism-united-
states
the radical Left.” As with all of his podcasts and TV and radio appearances, Gaetz would repackage and recycle
this misleading statement in dozens of social media posts and subsequent media interviews.
Denying the threat of political violence from the right would become a standard Gaetz refrain. The Congressman
would also repeat this fiction on January 6, 2020, when violent Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to
disrupt the peaceful and orderly transfer of power to President-Elect Joe Biden. At last count, more than 50 police
officers were injured in the insurgence, one officer—a veteran—was killed.
Hours after the violent siege, the Congressman would give one of the most un-American speeches ever delivered
on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. He disingenuously claimed that President Trump had only
called for peaceful protest and added a new conspiracy to the dangerous mix, namely that Antifa, not Trump
supporters, was responsible for the violence. The source of Gaetz’s new conspiracy theory was the Washington
Times, who took the post down when proven false. The Congressman has yet to retract his claim or apologize for
misleading the American people on the House floor. (See Section 5 of this complaint for additional details about
the Congressman’s role in amplifying election disinformation and inciting the January 6 insurrection.)
Holocaust denier. In January of 2018, Mr. Gaetz
invited Holocaust denier and white nationalist
Chuck Johnson to the State of the Union address.
Johnson developed WeSearchr, an alt-right
crowdfunding platform used by the neo-Nazi Daily
Stormer and other hate groups.43 44 In 2016, Johnson
gained notoriety for an appearance on the alt-right podcast Fash the Nation, where he claimed that racial inequity
existed because “blacks were dumber.” Views like these resulted in Twitter permanently banning Johnson.
Support for Johnson, as well as his own anti-Semitic comments, would earn the Congressman a public rebuke
from Florida Jewish Action.45
White nationalist staffer. In April of 2019, Representative Gaetz announced he had hired Darren Beattie, the
former White House speech writer fired after it was revealed he was a speaker at the 2016 H.L. Mencken Club
Conference, an annual gathering of high-profile white nationalists like Richard Spencer.46
Glorifying violence against Antifa. In June of 2020 after the FBI classified Antifa (short for Anti-fascist) a
domestic terror group, Gaetz tweeted “Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like
we do those in the Middle East?"47 The tweet was flagged by Twitter for glorifying violence.
Laura Loomer endorsement. In August of 2020, Gaetz endorsed congressional candidate Laura Loomer, an
Islamaphobe and right-wing provocateur, banned from a staggering number of companies for hate speech,
including Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Lyft, Venmo, GoFundMe, PayPal. Among her most controversial comments
were describing Islam “a cancer on humanity” and calling for a ban on Muslims holding public office.48
43
Southern Poverty Law Center, “Hate Goes to Washington,” The Intelligence Report, February 20, 2019.
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2019/hate-goes-washington
44
Anti-Defamation League, “U.S. Representative Brings Holocaust Denier to Meeting on Capitol Hill,” October 18, 2017.
https://www.adl.org/blog/us-representative-brings-holocaust-denier-to-meeting-on-capitol-hill
45
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, press release, “New Ad Targeting Matt Gaetz,” October 20, 2020.
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/10/20/bend-arc-releases-new-ad-targeting-matt-gaetz
46
Caroline Kelly, “Rep. Matt Gaetz hires former White House speechwriter who attended 2016 conference with white
nationalists,” CNN, April 19, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/politics/darren-beattie-matt-gaetz/index.html
47
Doha Madani, “Matt Gaetz tweet on hunting antifa hit with warning from Twitter for glorifying violence,” NBC News,
June 1, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/matt-gaetz-tweet-hunting-antifa-hit-warning-twitter-glorifying-
violence-n1221506
48
Chris Cillizza, “A self-described 'proud Islamophobe' banned from social media just won a GOP nomination,” CNN,
August 19, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/politics/laura-loomer-donald-trump-
florida/index.html#:~:text=Loomer%20is%20one%20of%20the%20most%20high-
profile%20figures,America.%20She%20has%20called%20herself%20a%20%22proud%20Islamophobe.%22
Endorsement of QAnon followers. Rep. Gaetz was among the first Republican to endorse newly-elected
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon follower and conspiracy blogger. Her blog on the “American
Truth Seekers” web site has promoted false information about Hilary Clinton running a pedophile ring out of a
pizza parlor and the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School being a “false flag.” In
addition, she has called for the execution House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.49
In November, Gaetz would call for the pardon of Michael Flynn, the disgraced general and QAnon devotee. The
President would grant the pardon the following day, which in turn, Gaetz dutifully cheered.50 Three weeks later
on Newsmax, the newly-pardoned Flynn called for President Trump to invoke martial law and order the military
to re-run the election in the states Trump lost.51
Proud Boys. In February of 2019, Gaetz intervened on behalf of Jacob Engels, a member of the violent extremist
group the Proud Boys. Engels was suspended from Twitter for spreading violent disinformation about Gaetz’s
colleague, Rep. Congress Ilhan Omar. Gaetz’s social media campaign defending Engels—#freeJacob—was
shared thousands of times, foreshadowing Gaetz’s attacks on social media companies who dared sanction
accounts spreading hate speech or inciting violence.52
In October of 2020, Florida’s 3-WEAR TV reported that Gaetz had hired the Proud Boys to provide security at a
political rally in Milton, Florida.53 Despite the FBI classifying the Proud Boys an “extremist group” and a
plethora of reports about the group’s violence, Gaetz disingenuously claimed to be unaware of the group’s violent
record.
Members of the Proud Boys, QAnon, militias and other extremist groups were among the violent insurgents who
stormed the U.S. Capitol to block the peaceful transfer of power. The siege resulted in the injury of more than 50
police officers and the death of five. Among the dead was a Capitol Police officer, an Air National Guard vet.
49
Andrew Kaczynski, “GOP candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene spread conspiracies about Charlottesville and 'Pizzagate',”
CNN, August 25, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/25/politics/kfile-marjorie-greene-spread-conspiracies/index.html
50
Sarah Polus, “Gaetz: Trump 'should pardon everyone' including himself to quash liberal 'bloodlust',” The Hill, November
25, 2020. https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/527513-gaetz-trump-should-pardon-everyone-including-
himself-to-quench
51
Solange Reyner, “Michael Flynn to Newsmax TV: Trump Has Options to Secure Integrity of 2020 Election,” Newsmax,
December 2020. https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-election-flynn-martiallaw/2020/12/17/id/1002139/
52
Colin Wolf, “Matt Gaetz defends a Central Florida Proud Boy who was banned from Twitter for Islamophobic post.”
Orlando Weekly, Feb 26, 2019. https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/02/26/matt-gaetz-defends-a-central-
florida-proud-boy-who-was-banned-from-twitter-for-islamophobic-post
53
Rebekah Castor, “Proud Boys' provide security at pro-America rally in Milton,” 3-WEAR TV, October 23, 2020.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/proud-boys-provide-security-at-pro-america-rally-in-milton/ar-BB1al9m2
claims as they were debunked by state officials charged with investigating them. In most cases, the tweets are still
posted. (See pages 22-30 in the Appendix for screen shots of his various false claims.)
In fact, Gaetz would repeat these baseless claims over and over even after they were investigated and disproved.
His standard refrain is, “Of the people who showed up and voted, President Trump won this election in a
landslide.” He would add, “It is a travesty our institutions of government did not hold and ensure that we preserve
that victory,”54 referring to the DOJ and FBI who have declined
to press fraud charges and the courts that have dismissed more
than 64 lawsuits by Trump and his allies.
Hours before the violent mob would storm the Capitol to
interrupt the certification of the election of Joe Biden as the 46th
president, Gaetz would tweet, “States that steal elections should
be stripped of electors.” Make no mistake, the intervention that
Gaetz and his allies are advocating would disenfranchise
millions of Americans, mostly from areas with large
proportions of Black voters. Gaetz attempt to discredit mail
ballots is particularly troubling to our community, as more than
250,000 military personnel vote absentee.55
To the shock of his colleagues and much of the American
public, Gaetz would even repeat these lies on the floor of the
House of Representatives, just hours after the violent
insurrection. In his speech, Gaetz made wild allegations about a vast conspiracy to commit systemic election
fraud by multiple states, courts and law enforcement.56 To date, Gaetz has tweeted the speech more than 17 times.
Gaetz’s followers might not know any better, but as an attorney, Gaetz does. He understands that the states—not
the federal government—conduct elections and investigate election fraud. He understands that the courts—not
Congress—settle election disputes beyond the narrow scope of their charge. The Congressman’s bad faith calls
for election integrity and the debate of irregularities and allegations of fraud are cynically designed to deepen our
divisions and fan the ignorance and anger of Trump supporters. Gaetz’s attacks on the rule of law are the subject
of a recent disbarment complaint to the Florida Bar Association filed by ret. Navy JAG Pam Keith. Both
Veterans for Responsible Leadership and the Homefront Fidelity Project have signed on to the petition in support
of Keith’s complaint.57
54
Students For Trump, “Matt Gaetz: We must fight to bring back integrity to our elections,” January 8, 2021.
https://twitter.com/TrumpStudents/status/1347611529508757512?s=20
55
Karen Jowers, “There are still tens of thousands of military absentee ballots yet to be counted,” Military Times,
November 4, 2020. https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2020/11/04/there-are-still-tens-of-thousands-of-military-
absentee-ballots-yet-to-be-counted/
56
Rep. Matt Gaetz, “U.S. House of Rep. House Debate on Arizona Electoral College Vote Challenge, Part 3,” C-SPAN,
January 6, 2021. https://www.c-span.org/video/?507672-103/house-rejects-objection-arizona-electoral-votes-303-121
57
Petition in support of Pam Keith (ret. Navy) complaint to Florida Bar Association for the disbarment of Matt Gaetz.
https://www.petitions.net/petition_in_support_of_the_disbarment_of_matt_gaet?uv=31405088&utm_source=twitter
58
Rep. Matt Gaetz, floor speech, U.S. House of Representatives, C-SPAN, September 29, 2020, https://www.c-
span.org/video/?476260-1/house-session-part-1
59
Haley, Britzky, “Army leaders push back on Mike Flynn’s call for the military to ‘re-run’ the 2020 election
‘There is no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of an American election,’” Task & Purpose,
December18, 2020. https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-secretary-chief-2020-election-mike-flynn/
60
Opinion | 10 former defense secretaries: Involving military in election disputes would be dangerous, unlawful - The
Washington Post
61
Timothy Johnson, “Stone calls for Trump to seize total power if he loses the election,” Media Matters, September 11,
2020. https://www.mediamatters.org/roger-stone/roger-stone-calls-trump-seize-total-power-if-he-loses-election
62
Solange Reyner, “Michael Flynn to Newsmax TV: Trump Has Options to Secure Integrity of 2020 Election.”
63
Caroline Kelly, “GOP GOP lawmaker Matt Gaetz calls for Trump to pardon Roger Stone,” CNN Digital, February 20,
2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/20/politics/matt-gaetz-the-view-roger-stone-trump/index.html
64
Megan Sheets, “General Michael Flynn leads friends in reciting oath to Constitution and QAnon slogan,” Daily Mail
Online,” July 5,2020, updated October 9, 2020.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Megan+Sheets+For+Dailymail.com
65
Rob Kuznia, “Stop the Steal's massive disinformation campaign connected to Roger Stone,” CNN, November 14, 2020.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/business /stop-the-steal-disinformation-campaign-invs/index.html
Another close associate with ties to the January 6 attack on the Capitol is Charlie Kirk, the founder of
conservative student group Turning Point USA. Days before the attack, Kirk would tweet, and later delete, that
his organization had paid for more than 80 busses to Washington, for what he dubbed “one of the largest and
most consequential” events in our history.66
Two weeks before the January 6 siege of the Capitol, Gaetz delivered a fiery speech at the Turning Point USA
conference. Like most of those who fomented the January 6 insurrection, the Congressman’s speech about
overturning the 2020 election was packed with violent imagery and hatred directed at the media and
Congressional leaders:67
“…Our friends in the media will breathlessly exclaim that we are attacking democracy. That’s
nonsense. Democracy is left undefended if we accept the results of a stolen election without
fighting with every bit of vigor we can muster. …”
“…We are done running plays from the establishment’s losing playbook. … I don’t know about
you, but I’m not going back to yesterday’s Republican party. I’m not going back to losing
politely like Mitt Romney. I’m not going back to the Bushes or the Cheneys. This is Donald
Trump’s party and I’m a Donald Trump Republican. …”
“…Our politicians are too often weak husks of humans. They scurry around Capitol hill just
doing favors for lobbyists and special interests. Often times they only look busy because they
accept busy work from our milquetoast so-called leadership. We should not be renaming post
offices while America is burning and in need of true leadership. …”
“…Our America First movement is only dangerous to those who would sell out our country to
foreign interests abroad or special interests here at home. …”
“…Just like the alligators out in the Everglades, the DC swamp creatures have spent seemingly
millennia adapting to their surroundings, and they can be very dangerous if not properly
handled. Now we know that the swamp isn’t truly drained until we’ve nailed the hides of the
alligators to the wall….” (emphasis added)
Gaetz closed the speech with a call to arms on January 6 that likened Trump supporters to the patriots who fought
in the Revolutionary War:
“…Signs suggest that we have challenging days ahead. But the
light of true patriotism can shine even in the darkest of
moments. Gen. George Washington wrote to the Constitutional
Congress in the darkest, coldest days of Valley Forge, “We are
out of food, so now we must think.” Then Washington got
together his rag tag band of patriots, they crossed the icy
Delaware River and slaughtered the German Hessians who
had no country. You see, America, she may need us now more
than ever and we better fight like hell for her with all we have.
For there is no place to run, there is no distant land to convert
to our purposes should we fail. Our day will come to fight and
cross the river like Washington had to. I hope you’re ready
and I hope you will cross that river with me. God bless you.
God bless our country. God bless the United States of America.
Let’s go get ‘em.” (emphasis added)
While responsible leaders have been seeking to dispel election myths and
turn down the temperature of the country, the Congressman has
continued to fan the flames in the weeks after the violent siege of the
Capitol. Even after reports that the violent mob intended to assassinate
66
Mikael Thalen, “Charlie Kirk deletes tweet saying he sent ‘80+ buses full of patriots’ to D.C.,” Daily Dot, January 10,
2020. https://www.dailydot.com/debug/charlie-kirk-delete-tweet-buses-capitol/
67
Turning Point USA, December 20, 2020. https://youtu.be/LvEKVcfXaAw
the Vice President and Speaker of the House, the Congressman issued only a vague and weak condemnation of
the violence, reserving his ire for Twitter and other technology companies who banned groups and individuals
involved in the insurrection. Despite the mounting evidence of an ongoing threat of violence by those who
continue to believe the election was stolen, Gaetz persists in making baseless allegations of election fraud, even
posting an illustration of himself smiling in front of an American flag on fire a week after the violent attack on
the Capitol.
68
Matt Gaetz campaign contributions. Open Secrets. https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-
congress/summary?cid=N00039503&cycle=CAREER&type=I
69
Matt Gaetz candidate record, Federal Election Commission.
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6FL01119/?cycle=2020
70
https://gaetz.house.gov/media/in-the-news/matt-gaetz-discusses-post-trump-gop-new-book-firebrand
In July of 2020, Politico reported another brazen use of public resources to amplify the Congressman’s self-
promotion efforts. Gaetz had allegedly diverted $28,000 from his government office budget to hire a speechwriter
and an unknown amount to build a TV studio in his parents’ basement, in likely violation of at least two House
ethics rules.71 According to the Politico investigation, “Taxpayers foot the bill to rent the television camera, and
the private company that built the studio — which Gaetz refuses to identify — takes a fee each time he appears
on air.” Gaetz’s office claims the TV studio was approved by House ethics officials, although his office has not
substantiated the claim.
It is from this TV studio that the Congressman broadcasts most of the objectionable statements referenced in this
complaint.
71
Jake Sherman, “Matt Gaetz appears to run afoul of House ethics rules,” Politico, July 22, 2020.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/gaetz-florida-house-ethics-rules-377098
APPENDIX
SCREENSHOTS OF REP. GAETZ’S SOCIAL MEDIA
(2) REP. GAETZ’S PUBLIC CONDUCT AND SPEECH IS UNBECOMING OF A MEMBER OF THE
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
1. Intimidation of a congressional witness
Excerpt from the COMMITTEE ON ETHICS REPORT IN THE MATTER OF ALLEGATIONS RELATING TO
REPRESENTATIVE MATT GAETZ
Download full document at https://ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.house.gov/files/documents/Committee%20Report_21.pdf
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