Block, SkipCaptcha, Upload, Automoderated users, Check users, delete, edit, Moderators, move, oversight, protect, ratelimit-exempt, rollback
20,023
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
mLine 1:
Line 1: + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Reverted edits by RedStateVoter (talk) to last revision by Geopolitician
{{Officeholder
|name=Matt Gaetz
|image=Matt Gaetz, official portrait, 116th Congress.jpg
|party=[[Republican]]
|spouse=
|religion=[[Baptist]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Florida
|district=1st
|terms=January 3, 2017 – present
|preceded=[[Jeff Miller]]
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/state representative
|state=Florida
|district=4th
|terms=April 13, 2010 – November 8, 2016
|preceded=Ray Sansom
|former=y
|succeeded=Mel Ponder
}}
}}
'''Matthew Louis “Matt” Gaetz, II''', born May 7, 1982 (age {{age|1982|5|7}}), is a [[Republican]] U.S. representative representing [[Florida]]'s 1st congressional district since 2017.
Gaetz gave a notable speech in May 2019 advocating for an [[America First]] foreign policy.<ref>Wong, Kristina (May 23, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/05/23/matt-gaetz-delivers-impassioned-foreign-policy-speech-america-first-means-the-american-people-firstmatt-gaetz-delivers-impassioned-foreign-policy-speech-america-first-means-the-american-people-fi/ Matt Gaetz Delivers Impassioned Foreign Policy Speech: ‘America First Means the American People First’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 23, 2019.<br>See also:
*Moran, Sean (June 16, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/06/16/matt-gaetz-america-first-means-protecting-u-s-border-before-avenging-japanese-vessels/ Matt Gaetz: ‘America First’ Means Protecting U.S. Border Before Avenging Japanese Vessels]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
*Mills, Curt (August 19, 2019). [https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/matt-gaetz-goes-to-washington/ Matt Gaetz Goes to Washington]. ''The American Conservative''. Retrieved August 25, 2019.</ref> He has criticized Congress' prioritizing Russia/Ukraine issues over securing the U.S. southern border.<ref>Poor, Jeff (November 17, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/11/17/gaetz-my-constituents-question-congress-concerns-over-russia-ukraine-instead-of-u-s-mexico-border/ Gaetz: My Constituents Question Congress Concerns over Russia-Ukraine Instead of U.S.-Mexico Border]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 17, 2019.</ref>
Gaetz has been targeted by [[neocons]] for among other things his opposition to Saudi Arabian influence on American politics, his opposition to war with [[Iran]], his open contempt for [[George W. Bush]], and his public feud with [[Liz Cheney]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri4D0Raczqo</ref><ref>https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1215447980305797122</ref> <ref>https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/21/liz-cheney-asked-some-republicans-step-down-after-trump-criticisms/5480384002/</ref> <ref>https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/us-rep-matt-gaetz-urges-wyoming-unseat-liz-cheney#stream/0</ref>Their influence may have resulted in him being excluded from Trump's impeachment defense team.<ref>[https://nypost.com/2020/01/23/matt-gaetz-says-he-was-kept-off-impeachment-defense-team-over-war-powers-vote/ Matt Gaetz says he was kept off impeachment defense team over war powers vote]. ''New York Post''.</ref>
He indicated in December 2020 that he would object on the [[House]] floor to the certification of [[Joe Biden]] based on [[Electoral fraud]] in the [[United States presidential election, 2020]].
Despite all of the above, Gaetz does have some liberal views on social issues. In 2015, while serving in the [[Florida]] state legislature, he sponsored a repeal on its ban on adoption by [[homosexual]]s,<ref>https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=720277.docx&DocumentType=Amendments&BillNumber=7013&Session=2015</ref>. In 2019, he defending Rep. [[Katie Hill]] (D-CA) before she resigned over a sex scandal. Gaetz also defied [[conservative]]s by voting to increase [[visa]] caps for high-skilled (i.e., high-paid) workers (2019 roll call h437) and he voted against showing support for the [[ICE]] border agents (2018 roll call h337).<ref>http://politicsthatwork.com/voting-record/Matt-Gaetz-412690</ref>
In 2021, he was accused of taking a seventeen-year-old girl across state lines for sex, which prompted an FBI investigation. Gaetz denies these claims and has stated that they are the product of an extortion scheme targeting him and his father, former Florida State Senate President Don Gaetz.[https://www.businessinsider.com/matt-gaetz-sex-trafficking-extortion-investigation-explainer-timeline-2021-3] In the months prior to [[Donald Trump]]'s departure from office, Gaetz is alleged to have sought a pardon from the President, although both men have denied that such a request was ever made.[https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-defends-matt-gaetz-denies-florida-congressman-asked-pardon-1581697] Meanwhile, leaked texts indicate the possibility of Israeli government involvement in the alleged extortion scheme, which in turn was centered around efforts to raise money to get the now-deceased FBI agent Robert Levinson released from Iranian custody. All parties involved in the alleged scheme have denied that whatever they requested or demanded amounted to extortion; and the Israeli consulate employee involved in the scheme has claimed that he didn't know about the allegations against Gaetz until shortly before they were made public, in the process implying that he may not have been "kept entirely in the loop" about the situation.[https://www.theamericanconservative.com/state-of-the-union/leaked-texts-from-israeli-consular-official-show-more-details-in-gaetz-levinson-funding-scheme/]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.mattgaetz.com/ Campaign Website]
*[https://gaetz.house.gov/ House Website]
*[https://ballotpedia.org/Matt_Gaetz Profile] at ''Ballotpedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaetz, Matt}}
[[Category:Florida]]
[[Category:State Representatives]]
{{conservatism}}
[[Category:United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Anti-establishment]]
[[Category:Patriots]]
[[Category:115th United States Congress]]
[[Category:116th United States Congress]]
[[Category:117th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Nationalists]]