Congressman Matt Gaetz has been under extreme criticism, controversy, and scandal the last few days. The accusations leveled against him are no different than accusations leveled against important Democrat politicians such as Governor Cuomo. The difference is that the media joins together fiercely if the attack is against a Republican politician. Also worth noting is that no female staffers came to Cuomo’s defense.
Gaetz has rejected the claims and said that he is under a blackmail and smear campaign.
In Crestview, Florida, a billboard was spotted which read “Matt Gaetz Wants to ‘Date’ Your Child” next to a picture of the Congressman. The billboard was paid for by an anti-Trump political action committee known as Mad Dog PAC.
In light of all the allegations and the investigations of alleged sex trafficking and relationship with a minor, the women working at the Congressman’s office spoke out in a statement:
“After the shocking allegations last week in the press, we, the women of Congressman Matt Gaetz’s office, feel morally obligated to speak out. During Congressman Gaetz’s time in office, we have been behind the scenes every step of the way. We have staffed his meetings. We have planned his events. We have traveled with him. And we have tracked his schedule. Congressman Gaetz has always been a principled and morally grounded leader. At no time has any one of us experienced or witnessed anything less than the utmost professionalism and respect. No hint of impropriety. No ounce of untruthfulness.
In our office and under Congressman Gaetz’s leadership, women are not only respected, but have been encouraged time and time again to grow, achieve more, and ultimately, know our value. Many of us started in entry-level positions and have been promoted to positions of leadership within the office. In our professional ecosystem, women are given every opportunity to advance and utilize our talents to help the country in the best possible way.
On every occasion he has treated each and every one of us with respect. Thus, we uniformly reject these allegations as false.
Congressman Gaetz will continue to lead by example and stand for the people of America who have been maligned by the liberal elite. And we will stand with him. While we recognize the scrutiny we will face for making this decision, we take comfort in the hope that more Americans and elected officials will stand up and refuse to remain silent.”
-The Women of the Office of U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz
Even though his office staffers defended him, there has been a collective silence from the GOP. Even former President Trump (who Gaetz was a loyal ally to) has refrained from commenting on the matter. White House Corresponded Maggie Haberman said that Trump had to be talked out of defending him given the seriousness of the allegations.
“His first impulse was that he wanted to defend Gaetz, you know, ‘He’s one of our people‘”, Haberman told CNN‘s New Day on Thursday. “Several of his advisers had told him that’s a very bad idea, that the nature of what Gaetz is being investigated for is so serious that this is not something that former President Trump should be out there on a limb”.
Only time will tell what comes of the allegations, and if the GOP will stand up for one of it’s own.
