By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Special to Liberty Park Press
ANALYSIS – Last January, former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz [R-FL-1] introduced H.R. 374. It was a short bill that became known as the “Abolish the ATF Act.”
“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is hereby abolished,” Gaetz’s bill said.
It was simple, really.
Unfortunately, it received the same response as other bills Gaetz had submitted, such as H.R. 9534, the National Constitutional Carry Act, or H.R.3142, the Stand Your Ground Act of 2023. The bills were introduced but never received any further attention.
Gaetz didn’t seem to care about his lost legislation. He had bigger things on his mind.
Gaetz will always be known best for leading the fight that dumped the former Republican Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, last year. But for those who really know the 42-year-old former congressman who lives in Fort Walton Beach, Florida with his wife Ginger, this too was just par for his course.
Gaetz’s critics were never the silent type. Now, they’ve become slaphappy and completely unglued.
Axios reported there were gasps in the room coming from Republican lawmakers when Gaetz name was first announced.
“It must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American History,” John Bolton told NBC’s Meet the Press. Gaetz is “totally incompetent” for the AG position, Bolton said, adding, “This is a nomination the Republican Party would oppose.”
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska. “This one was not on my Bingo card.”
The BBC seemed to get Trump’s Gaetz decision better than the rest of the traditional media. They said Gaetz’s “bombastic approach” meant that he has no shortage of enemies, including some of his fellow Republicans.
“And so, Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too – his second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned,” the BBC wrote.
Gaetz recent resignation from the House brought a quick halt to the internal investigations that had plagued him for the past few years, and House Speaker Mike Johnson referred to Gaetz as an “accomplished attorney.”
“He’s a reformer in his mind and heart, and I think that he’ll bring a lot to the table on that,” Johnson said.
To be clear, Gaetz has denied every allegation made against him, which are now all moot.
Critics be damned
Matt Gaetz was not available Thursday. Calls to his former congressional phone numbers went straight to voicemail. Additional phone numbers were not answered either.
Gaetz is nothing new or divisive to longtime Floridians. In fact, he’s exactly what we want from our public servants. A longtime radio host told me Thursday morning that Gaetz’s now former constituents cared about two issues: “Guns and guns.” I would strongly agree.
Gaetz cares more about the Second Amendment than anyone else in Congress – especially the Democrats. So, of course they are going to attack him personally. In fact, Gaetz is currently attracting as much if not more hate and discontent from the left than President-elect Donald J. Trump.
Unfortunately, much of the press Gaetz now faces is about what you’d expect, especially the stories from NBC.
A story published by NBC News Wednesday titled, “Justice Dept. employees stunned at Trump’s ‘insane,’ ‘unbelievable’ choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general,” sums up most of the angst that characterizes the legacy media.
“OMG,” a current senior Justice Department official said. A second department official called the selection “truly stunning,” and a third labeled it “insane,” the story claims. Of course, none of the alleged Republicans were named.
I’m pretty confident that Gaetz isn’t bothered by NBC’s stories or those of other likeminded reporters. After all, he’s got as they say in his section of Florida’s panhandle, bigger fish to fry.
Matt Gaetz has strongly supported the Second Amendment since his first day in Congress, and he will get President-elect Trump’s backing for his new job regardless of what the Democrats choose to do, even if it takes a recess appointment or some other type of maneuver.
Florida and now the entire country need Matt Gaetz.
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