Rep. Matt Gaetz Says He Will Press Charges Against Florida Woman Who Threw a Drink At Him Over the Weekend
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) revealed that he plans to press charges against a Florida woman who threw wine and verbally berated him at an event over the weekend.
The incident took place at the South Walton Beach Wine and Food Festival where Gaetz was in attendance with his wife Ginger Luckey. In a video posted to his congressional Twitter account, Gaetz explained the incident that led to a Florida woman in handcuffs.
“We were enjoying catching up with new friends and old, and folks recognized me. And so we were taking pictures and having polite conversations. And as I was chatting with one gentleman, a lady threw a drink on the both of us and she was promptly arrested. I want to thank the great folks at the Walton County Sheriff’s Office who ensured that this did not escalate and that everyone is kept safe,” Gaetz said.
“I want folks to know why we press charges in circumstances like this. It’s quite all right for folks to let their voice heard with an opinion or a comment. Folks can shout and scream all they want. This is America. And people ought to be able to say what they believe, what they desire, even offer criticisms or critiques of people in public life,” he explained.
Gaetz said that he would never want anyone to be in harm’s way.
“But if we start allowing stuff to be thrown or hurled, if we allow people to be harmed, there is a severe risk of escalation and accident. And we don’t want to see anyone in harm’s way, whether it’s family members, supporters, or even our detractors,” Gaetz said.
The woman was later identified by the Walton County Sheriffs office as 41-year-old Selena Chambers. According to the Sheriff’s Office’s Twitter account “she was charged with battery on an elected official and issued a $1,000 bond. She was released the following day.”
Gaetz talked about Chambers in the video address.
“Of course, she is a left wing author. Her stuff is not exactly my type, it seems after the 2016 election, based on some of her writing, she became very obsessed with Donald Trump… She’s also a donor to the Joe Biden presidential campaign. As she talked about her emotional turmoil following the 2016 election and just going through some of the stuff she’s written. It is really bizarre. She writes about feminist surrealism,” Gaetz said.
Gaetz insisted that he will make sure there are “appropriate consequences through the legal system.”
Watch above via Rep. Matt Gaetz on Twitter.
