After Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) became one of three Republicans to vote for a measure limiting President Donald Trump’s war powers in the days after the Iran strike, questions swirled about the congressman’s standing at the White House. But Gaetz maintains he was always in Trump’s good graces — and early Tuesday, he wanted one prominent reporter to know it.
Late Monday, New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman noted on Twitter that Trump shouted out Gaetz during a rally in New Hampshire.
“The ouster of Matt Gaetz lasted as long as the impeachment trial — Trump just singled him out at NH rally,” Haberman wrote.
The reporter cited a Washington Post article written by Josh Dawsey, which quoted a senior White House official as saying it was “super uncool” and “quite unwise” for Gaetz to defy Trump on the Iran vote, and that Gaetz’s calls, texts, “smoke signals or his kneelings in the snow,” would all go unreturned.
Not true, says Gaetz — who fired back at Haberman early Tuesday.
“I was never ‘ousted.
Haberman fired back.
“Respectfully sir, I think your issue is with the White House and not either of us,” she wrote. “Multiple officials confirmed Dawsey’s story at the time. But as I noted last night and at other times and which you’ve chosen to ignore, aides were always more upset than Trump.”
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