TALLAHASSEE — U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent defenders, made a pitch for civility Monday on a Pensacola radio station after telling listeners he wasn't meeting with them in person on advice from Capitol Police.
Gaetz, who was pelted with a drink after a town hall meeting earlier this summer, said holding a public event would have required additional law enforcement.
Instead, he spent an hour on the radio taking a range of questions that covered everything from Jeffrey Epstein to local transportation woes. He also touted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, saying the Republican would be a natural successor to Trump.Gaetz, who is known for being combative, admitted he has gone too far at times on social media and said people should “recognize the humanity of people” who differ politically.
“People who don’t hold our political beliefs or our ideology, that doesn’t make someone a bad person, that doesn’t make them a bad neighbor, it wouldn’t make them a bad ball coach or a scout master,” Gaetz said.
Gaetz, in a texted response to questions from POLITICO, said he is still appearing in public in his western Panhandle district at less-publicized events rather than town hall meetings that were billed as “#OpenGaetz events.”
Capitol Police advised Gaetz against holding open events after a drink was thrown at him after a town hall in June. Amanda Kondrat’yev of Pensacola pleaded guilty this month to assaulting a U.S. congressman. She is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Capitol Police are aware of "very specific death threats against me and my family" Gaetz told POLITICO, including a threat in which "shooting me at long distance during a public event was mentioned.
”Gaetz appeared on the radio program just days after the Florida Bar said it had found no probable cause in a complaint filed against him after he directed a Twitter post to Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump.
The bar’s grievance committee did write a critical letter to Gaetz, calling his tweet “unprofessional, reckless, insensitive and demonstrated poor judgment," according to news reports. Gaetz worked in a northwest Florida law firm before he was elected to Congress.
In response to a question about his use of social media, Gaetz said people engage in what he called “keyboard courage” and “I am not immune to that.”
“I need to be better on social media, I think we all need to be better on social media," he said.
Despite the comment, Gaetz defended Trump’s use of Twitter.
“The president is often defending himself,” Gaetz told POLITICO. “I see no problem with his social media, but for the occasional typo.”
During his radio appearance, Gaetz admitted to one caller that Epstein's suicide while in federal custody “smells to high heaven” but he expected the inspector general for the Department of Justice to be “thorough” and “fair” during his review of the incident.
Epstein was being held on charges of sex trafficking.
Gaetz talked up the potential of DeSantis running for president, calling him a natural heir to Trump. DeSantis won the governorship after winning Trump's endorsement during the Republican primary in which he soundly defeated establishment favorite Adam Putnam.
“Someone has to inherit this Trump movement, it cannot end at the conclusion of the Trump presidency,” Gaetz said. “I think that Ron DeSantis is exactly the kind of guy to carry the torch.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine