Panhandle Congressman Matt Gaetz is building a reputation as a renegade.
In early December, the Fort Walton Beach Republican was a headline guest at a dinner hosted by a group of young Republicans from New York City. The event drew media attention because the club traveled across the Hudson River to Jersey City, N.J., for the dinner – immediately inviting the question: Why would anyone go to Jersey City voluntarily?
Also this month, Gaetz urged President Donald Trump to pardon Edward Snowden, the former federal contractor who leaked secrets of the U.S. government spying on Americans. Snowden fled to Russia, and remains holed up there. Many of Gaetz’s fellow Republicans consider Snowden a traitor.
Last week, Gaetz utilized Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s vote-by-proxy scheme – something he had ridiculed earlier this year – to say he needed to work from home because of COVID concerns. Instead, he ducked out of Congress to attend a gala at Mar-a-Lago put on by Turning Point USA.
But Gaetz’s latest go-against-the grain moment is a last-ditch defense of Trump.
Many Republicans are not warming to Trump’s continued refusal to concede the election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Gaetz, however, is not one of them.
He announced that he will join the effort to challenge the Electoral College vote when Congress gathers next month to certify the election results.
At that Turning Point USA dinner last weekend, according to Newsweek, Gaetz told the crowd, “I’m joining with the fighters in the Congress, and we are going to object to electors from states that didn’t run clean elections!”
“Our friends in the media will breathlessly exclaim that we are attacking democracy. That’s nonsense,” Gaetz added. “Democracy is left undefended if we accept the result of a stolen election without fighting with every bit of vigor we can muster.”
“With the people whose votes weren’t validated, who came in by the mail, Joe Biden was getting vote totals that would have made Bashar al-Assad blush,” Gaetz continued. “In 2016, [Democrats] couldn’t beat Trump with actual voters at the ballot box, so they tried with impeachment at the witness box. And when that failed, they ran to the mailbox.”
Gaetz then took a shot at what he called the GOP’s “milquetoast, so-called leadership.”
“The media in their woke-topia and allies in Silicon Valley only grow stronger in their ability to super spread lies and bulls–t,” Gaetz told the crowd. “I’m not going back to yesterday’s Republican Party. I’m not going back to losing politely, with Mitt Romney. I’m not going back to the Bushes or the Cheneys.”
“This is Donald Trump’s party,” he said, “and I am a Donald Trump Republican.”
To open debate on challenging the election outcome, a representative, such as Gaetz, needs a partner from the Senate. Gaetz suggested GOP Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville of Alabama may assist him.
While Gaetz is likely correct how this protest will be framed by Democrats and the media, Democrats have been here before.