Democrats have called for an investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz after the Republican from Florida posted a tweet that appeared to threaten President Donald Trump’s former attorney just hours before scheduled testimony before the House Oversight Committee.
“Hey @MichaelCohen212 – Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends?” Gaetz wrote to former Trump attorney Michael Cohen in the since-deleted tweet. “Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot.”
Gaetz, 36, apologized amid criticism for the tweet and took the message off social media.
Here are some things to know about Gaetz:
- Gaetz was born May 7, 1982, in Hollywood, Florida, according to his Florida House of Representatives biography. He grew up in the Fort Walton Beach area.
- His father, Don Gaetz, is a Republican politician who was elected in 2006 to the Florida Senate. From 2012 to 2014, Don Gaetz served as president of the Florida Senate. Matt Gaetz's grandfather, S.J. "Jerry" Gaetz, was the mayor of Rugby, North Carolina, from 1958 to 1964 and served in the North Dakota Senate in 1964.
- In 2003, Matt Gaetz earned a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies at Florida State University. He earned his juris doctorate in 2007 at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
- After graduation, Matt Gaetz worked in northwest Florida as an attorney with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm.
- He was elected in April 2010 to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. He was subsequently re-elected and represented parts of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.
- Matt Gaetz was elected in 2016 to represent Florida's First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In January 2017, he was sworn into office.
- Matt Gaetz is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. The group has given him an A+ rating throughout his career and endorsed him in his run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives last year, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News.
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