Matt Gaetz Joins MAGA Influencers At Pentagon Press Briefing, Even Asks a Question

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) joined the Pentagon’s press briefing on Tuesday as a member of the press. Gaetz, a highly controversial MAGA influencer, was joined by a cadre of MAGA and far-right influencers, including, Laura Loomer, James O’Keefe, and Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. The regular reporters at the Pentagon were all kicked out of the building after they refused to sign Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pledge to only report on materials pre-approved by the DoD.

Gaetz asked Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, “If Nicolás Maduro leaves Venezuela today, what role will the Department of Defense have in a post-Maduro Venezuela? And describe the process the administration will use to determine whether or not current members of the Venezuelan military or Venezuelan government have a role in a post-Maduro Venezuela?”

“Thanks for the question. So the department has a contingency plan for everything. We are a planning organization. If anything were to happen around the world, we have a response planned and ready. So we stand at the president’s beck and call, our commander in chief, to do what is needed if called upon,” Wilson replied, adding:

And that will be what this department continues to focus on and continues to prepare for in regards to our ongoing operations in the SOUTHCOM region. Again, our focus is taking out narco-terrorists and rooting out that threat that is poisoning the American people. Every single boat that we strike saves 25,000 American lives. That is a crucial mission to protecting the homeland, and we’re proud to be a part of it.

Gaetz had a follow-up question, “Quickly, so, you know, following the departure of Saddam Hussein, there was this desire to name every Ba’athist a terrorist. Does the administration take the view that any person who served in the Venezuelan military or Venezuelan government is definitionally a narco-terrorist?”

“That would be a determination for the president to make, but I can tell you that every single person who we have hit thus far, who is in a drug boat carrying narcotics to the United States, is a narco-terrorist. Our intelligence has confirmed that, and we stand by it,” Wilson replied.

Gaetz is currently the host of a show on One America News Network and has made headlines in recent months with his staunchly anti-Israel and pro-isolationist rhetoric. His show recently fired a staffer for posting a shockingly anti-Semitic video on social media.