House Republicans are in no rush to defend controversial Florida Representative Matt Gaetz.
The lawmaker of three office holders, facing federal sex trafficking, “will not be long,” a GOP member of Congress told The Hill, claiming that Gaetz’s days on Capitol Hill are numbered.
A GOP House insider told The Post the allegations against Gaetz are “despicable.”
“At the moment, it looks like he is leaving Congress in disgrace at best and in jail at worst,” the insider said. “He’s trying to tweet through the whole situation, but he doesn’t seem to be going very well. … We would like this problem to go away. “
While none of Gaetz’s Republican colleagues has actively called for him to resign, evidence of discontent is growing.
House Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters this week that the allegations against the Congressman were “serious.” GOP representative David Valadao in California gave campaign donations from Gaetz to victims of domestic violence, Axios reported.
Former GOP representative Barbara Comstock has called him to go
Gaetz, one of former President Trump’s closest allies in Congress, has long been a divisive figure in his party and has particularly tormented many of his colleagues for his attacks on fellow lawmakers.
In January, Gaetz hosted a rally in Wyoming to protest U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Capitol uprising of January 6. He took an active part in the House’s unsuccessful internal attempt to deprive her of her leading role as conference chairman of the GOP House.
Gaetz, who says he will not resign, has denied charges he has paid for sex with minors and says he is the victim of a baroque extortion plot.