Matt Gaetz Pursued Pardon from Trump
The Claim
During the final days of the Trump presidency, House Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) privately pursued a blanket pardon from then-President Donald Trump, while the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), under Trump appointee William Barr, was launching a concurrent investigation into an alleged sexual assault of a minor by the congressman.
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Emerging story
The New York Times recently reported that Rep. Matt Gaetz "privately asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed." This fast-moving story started a few weeks ago when news broke that Mr. Gaetz was the subject of a DOJ investigation into former Seminole County, Fla., tax collector Joel Greenberg – a friend and colleague of Mr. Gaetz. Greenberg faces a raft of charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.
As the story broke, the congressman took to social media and claimed his family was being extorted by an ex-DOJ employee for the sum of $25 million. He went on-air with Tucker Carlson to explain the allegations, after which host Carlson said it "was one of the weirdest interviews [he'd] ever conducted."
Rep. Gaetz continues to maintain his innocence as more details of the investigation come out and recently spoke at the "Save America Summit" – organized by a women's empowerment group that was also involved with the Jan. 6, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be credible. Based on reporting, Rep. Matt Gaetz did, in fact, privately seek a blanket pardon from the Trump Administration. The story is based off of an interview with two people familiar with the discussion. Other national media outlets got more specific, stating that "top White House lawyers and officials viewed the request for a preemptive pardon as a nonstarter" which "would set a bad precedent."
Earlier reporting by the NYT indicated that because of "Mr. Gaetz’s national profile, senior Justice Department officials in Washington — including some appointed by Mr. Trump — were notified of the investigation."
A spokesperson for Mr. Gaetz said the claim has been blown out of proportion and that "entry-level political operatives...conflated a [general] pardon call from Representative Gaetz" calling "for President Trump to pardon ‘everyone from himself, to his administration, to Joe Exotic.'” Back in November, Mr. Gaetz vocally called for pardons to fly from the Trump White House in order to counter the "radical left a bloodlust" in the form of investigations that would be coming from the Democratic-led House.
During the period of time Mr. Gaetz allegedly requested a pardon from the Trump White House, the DOJ was investigating friend and colleague, Joel Greenberg. Greenberg is "expected to strike a plea deal," according to other sources.
Since April 6, when the Times originally published the story, other publications have picked up the narrative but added no new information. Former President Trump has stated that Gaetz never personally asked him for a pardon, but said that Mr. Gaetz "has totally denied the accusations."
