Ted Lieu Demands Removal of Matt Gaetz from Judiciary Over Report He Sought ‘Preemptive Pardon’ in Sex Trafficking Case
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California Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu demanded Saturday that GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy remove Rep. Matt Gaetz from the Judiciary Committee, following a Washington Post report that the Florida republican sought a preemptive pardon from Donald Trump in an ongoing sex trafficking investigation.
The Post‘s Jacqueline Alemany and Amy Gardner reported on Saturday that, during Trump’s presidency, Gaetz actively sought a pardon in advance in a sprawling Justice Department investigation with allegations of fraud, corruption, and sex trafficking, of which Gaetz is a target.
Gaetz was reportedly asking for a pardon because of his alleged entanglement in this wild, sprawling scheme.
Never underestimate #FloridaMan’s ability to really make things very, very weird. #flapol https://t.co/MiNzXx6of5
— Sarah Rumpf 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@rumpfshaker) September 17, 2022
The latest twist, that he sought a pardon specifically regarding the sex trafficking investigation, is according to an account of testimony given to the January 6 committee, WaPo reports.
Johnny McEntee, according to people familiar with his testimony, told investigators that Gaetz told him during a brief meeting “that they are launching an investigation into him or that there’s an investigation into him,” without specifying who was investigating Gaetz.
McEntee added that Gaetz told him “he did not do anything wrong but they are trying to make his life hell, and you know, if the president could give him a pardon, that would be great.” Gaetz told McEntee that he had asked White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows for a pardon.
Asked by investigators if Gaetz’s request for a pardon was in the context of the Justice Department investigation into whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, McEntee replied, “I think that was the context, yes,” according to people familiar with the testimony who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
The testimony is the first indication that Gaetz was specifically seeking a pardon for his own exposure related to the Justice Department inquiry into whether he violated sex trafficking laws.
After the account was published, Rep. Lieu weighed in on Twitter, saying that McCarthy “must remove” Gaetz from the House Judiciary Committee.
GOP Rep Matt Gaetz is entitled to the presumption of innocence. He is not entitled to sit on the Judiciary Committee that has oversight over the Department of Justice that is investigating him for sex crimes. A conflict of interest. @GOPLeader must remove him from the Committee. https://t.co/Ovhcre5v0V
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 17, 2022
Neither Gaetz nor McCarthy has replied to Lieu in their own tweets, nor has Gaetz tweeted about the story itself. Read the full Washington Post report here.
